Choosing Sides
by Wolf-lover-girl
Summary: AU! The chandelier in Malfoy Manor that fell on Draco and Hermione was a Portkey, that transports them to a hut on a beach. Draco must choose between his loyalty and helping his former enemy recover from her ordeal at his home! Eventual Dramoine!
1. Malfoy Manor

**_Hey there!_**

**_Well, I've never actually really been a Dramione fan before, but after reading The Boy in the Hammock, it converted me!_**

**_So this is my first Dramione fanfic!_**

**_Plot- The chandelier in Malfoy Manor that fell on Draco and Hermione turns out to be a Portkey, that transports them to a hut on a beach, in the middle of nowhere. With their only means of getting back being walking, Draco must choose between his loyalty to the Death Eaters and his family, or help his former schoolmate recover from her ordeal under the hands of his Aunt! _**

**_As a result of this being an AU, that means some parts of DH may be different post-Malfoy Manor!_**

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><p>Her screams echoed through the dining room, making the hairs on Draco's arms raise, and his entire body was shocked at the noise, at the sound of so much pain. He had been the recipient of Aunt Bella's Crucio before, during their intense training sessions, but this, this was different. This was every atom of rage the woman possessed directed towards his former Hogwarts student.<p>

He tried not to feel anything. Wasn't that what he was taught from birth? Don't care about the emotions of other people, you need to be a mask of indifference.

"How did you get into my vault? Did that dirty little goblin in the cellar help you?" Bella screamed, only pausing for a second to speak before performing the curse again, making Hermione scream even louder.

They had been at it for what seemed an hour of screaming, crying, and, on Draco's part, partial pity. He had to constantly remind himself that she was part of Golden Boy's trio, an enemy of the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters, a Mudblood, she was the visual representation of everything he despised.

Why couldn't he feel anything then? Why, every time she screamed, he felt absolutely nothing?

He snapped out of his reverie as his Father ordered him, "Fetch the goblin, he can tell us whether the sword is real or not!"

He nodded, before trudging towards the cellar, refusing to look at Hermione as he passed her. He jumped down the steps, the chilly air heightening as he stepped downwards into the darkness.

He pointed his wand at the cellar lock, whispering the password, before saying in what he hoped was a strong, confident voice, "Stand back! Line against the back wall. Don't try anything or I'll kill you!"

_They _were in here. Potter and Weasley. Steeling himself, he caught sight of their snarling faces, before he grabbed the goblins bony elbow and pulled him out, pushing him up the stairs in front of him, locking the gate whilst keeping his wand trained on the goblins back.

"Good, Draco." Bella purred as he stepped back into the warmth of the dining room, pushing the goblin towards her and standing beside his parents, trying his best not to show any emotions.

"So, goblin." She pushed the sword into his hands, and the goblin's eyes momentarily lit with greed at the sight.

Before she could continue, a muffled _crack! _from the basement caused everyone to jump, pointing their wands towards the cellar, but no-one came up the steps.

"Draco-" Lucius began, but thought better of sending his only son towards possible danger, "No! Call Wormtail! Make him go and check!"

Draco nodded sullenly, before going towards the fireplace and knocking on the panel above it, yelling, "Wormtail!"

He stepped back as the fireplace turned, and Wormtail stepped out, looking petrified as he took in the sight. "Yes?" He queried, his voice high-pitched and nervous.

"Go and check the cellar." Lucius commanded, and Wormtail nodded, before shuffling off.

Everyone was silent as he descended, and the sound of a bang, and momentary scuffle caused everyone's face to flush, before Lucius called, "What is it, Wormtail?"

"Nothing! All fine!"

Draco faced his Aunt again, thinking nothing more of it. Weasley probably fainted, he thought, snickering to himself.

"Well?" Bellatrix said to Griphook, "Is it the true sword?"

"No, it's a fake."

Draco breathed a sigh of relief. Now they could hurry up and get rid of them before he had to look again at Hermione's unstirring body by his Aunt's feet.

Bellatrix pulled her sleeve back, revealing her pulsing Dark Mark, her eyes huge and manic. "Now, we summon the Dark Lord!"

Draco winced as his own Dark Mark prickled when she pressed her own. He always hated when that happened. It was a reminder of what he signed up for, and he always wondered what _he _ was doing when he required his Death Eaters.

"And I think, We can dispose of the Mudblood. Greyback, take her if you want."

Draco swallowed, his fingers wrapping around his wand, the knuckles white. At least it would all be over, he reminded himself.

"NO!"

Draco wheeled round as the sight of ginger streaking across the room made him shake his head at the risks these morons would go to. _Stupid Gryffindors. _

Potter himself stood feet away, and he sent a hex towards Draco and his parents, which they dodged easily. His parents sent hexes back, so he obliged, firing hex after hex towards Potter, but he hid behind the armchair to avoid them.

"STOP OR SHE DIES!"

Draco jumped at the ferocity of her voice, and turned to see his Aunt holding a stout silver dagger to Hermione's throat. "Drop your wands!" She shrieked, her hair a wild bush around her neck. "I said drop them!" She yelled again, and she dug the dagger slightly into her neck, causing beads of blood to drip onto the carpet.

"All right!" Harry shouted, dropping his wand, and Ron dropping his.

"Good! Draco, pick them up!"

Nodding obediently and feeling slightly like a house elf, he crossed the room as his Aunt continued to jeer at them. He bent down, picking up their wands, and when he straightened again, he fixed them with his best smirk, before stepping back beside his Aunt.

As soon as he stood beside her, the sound of creaking from above him grabbed his attention, and he snapped his head up, staring with shock at the bizarre sight of a House-elf, _his _House-Elf Dobby, fiddling with the chandelier.

Before he could say anything or move, everyone was diving out of the way, his Aunt dropping Hermione as she did so. What were-

The chandelier dropped on them, the glass shards shattering on the floor, stabbing his face and arms, felling him.

When he opened his eyes seconds later, he was no longer in Malfoy Manor.

Staring at a cobweb in the corner of the small room, he turned his face to the left to see the goblin lying lifeless, a huge glass shard protruding from his stomach as he clung to the sword, and to his right, he saw Hermione lying feet beside him, her eyes clamped shut, bleeding to death.

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><p><strong><em>Hope you like!<em>**


	2. The Hut

Groaning slightly, Draco sat up, starting to pull glass out of his arm, wincing as he did so. "Bloody house-elf..." He muttered as he stood, placing the blood-stained glass onto a nearby table.

He forced himself to look at Hermione, and saw that she was staring directly at him, her eyes fluttering open and closed.

"What?" He snapped, his temper getting the better of him.

She didn't speak, or seem capable of it, but she pointed his wand- which he had left on the floor- at him, immobilizing him. "What the hell are you doing?" He demanded, his face turning red as he struggled to move. He gasped as a short pain in his arm made him wince, and looked down at it. His arms were healed, and he could feel his face healing.

Open-mouthed, he stared down at her, before the wand slipped from her hands and her eyes closed again. "She..." He paused, unsure of what just happened. She healed him? Before healing herself? What? Why would she do that? They hated each other!

"Granger?" He said quietly, kneeling beside her and gingerly extending a hand towards her, but at the last second, he pulled back. No, imagine if she woke up? "Wake up!" He urged, but she didn't move, or even show any signs of breathing.

He sat back on his heels, chewing his bottom lip nervously. Why didn't he just leave? He could easily walk out the door...

But she had put him before herself, despite everything he had done and said to her. Somehow, now when he thought of every time he had called her Mudblood...or made fun of her looks, or her brains...instead of making him feel satisfied, it caused a cold feeling to run up his spine, making him shiver.

He glanced back at the goblin, and shuffled over, pressing a hand to it's neck, but there was no pulse. He took the sword from it's dead hands, and studied it, snorting with laughter. "So this is the magical sword of Gryffindor, huh?" He chuckled darkly, running a finger along the shining blade, "Not so special after all."

His finger stopped at writing that suddenly appeared, and he jumped back, shocked. "What?" He yelped, staring down at it then at Hermione's unconscious body.

_Head of a Slytherin, Heart of a Gryffindor._

He dropped the sword, backing away from it, shaking his head rapidly, before nearly falling over Hermione. He looked down, and saw that her foot was bulging, and a completely different size from her other one. Curious, he extended a hand, and pulled out a tiny beaded bag. "Women..." He smirked, opening it and fully expecting to find make-up, but he was astounded to see it was much bigger on the inside, and filled with a variety of books and-

_Gotcha._

He pulled out a small bottle labelled Essence of Dittany, and placed it on the floor, before putting his arm in again and pulling out a bottle labelled Strengthening Potion, both of which he remembered learning about in Potions.

He picked up the other bottle and crouched beside her, dropping Dittany onto her cuts, watching as they hissed slightly then sealed.

He then stood up, studying their predicament. It was some sort of hut or shack, with a low ceiling and constructed of palm tree leaves and wood that looked like it would fall over if he touched it. It only had one bed, built into the wall and a small table with two chairs. The only other thing in the room was a small armchair beside a shabbily constructed bookcase, littered with books like _How to build a fire with only grass, _and _Fishing for Idiots._

He bent down, feeling extremely uncomfortable and awkward, and still questioning himself why he was even helping her, before wrapping her arms around his neck and lifting her easily, before placing her on the bed, and placing the Strengthening potion beside her to drink when she awoke.

He picked the body of the goblin up, not looking at the sword while he did so, and carried it outside, placing it down in the soft sand.

They were on some sort of beach. The water, which he began walking towards, lapped at the shore peacefully, and there was a slight breeze that lifted his blonde hair. Breathing in the salty air, he sat at the water's edge, looking left and right. The beach went on as far as his eyes could see, it seemed to never end. As far as swimming went...he couldn't see land in his sight, apart from where he was sitting.

What happened? How did they get here?

All he remembered was the fight before the chandelier fell on them...

"Damn..."

The chandelier must have been a Portkey.

Growling slightly, he picked up a small branch beside him and began tearing layers off before eventually throwing it into the warm water.

"Malfoy?"

Closing his eyes, he saw Hermione trudging dozily towards him.

This was going to be fun...


	3. Apparation

Draco didn't speak as Hermione sat down a couple of metres to his right. He could feel her eyes staring at him, so he picked up a stone and threw it as hard as possible, watching the waves swallow it.

"I suppose I should thank you." She murmured, her voice slightly hoarse.

This surprised Draco. Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't that. "What for?" He replied, his voice neutral.

"For not killing me when you had the chance. For helping me." She is still staring at him intently, so with a sigh, he turned to face her.

"Let's not get all heart to heart, for both of our mental beings." He replied stolidly, keeping his face a mask of indifference, but a small smirk escaped him.

"Okay." She replied simply, and stared ahead into the ocean. "Any idea where we are? Or what happened?" She asked finally, after a couple of minutes silence.

"Merlin, they told me you were the smart one." He replied rather snidely, but he controlled himself and said, "The chandelier was some sort of Portkey. I have no clue where we are, or why we were brought here."

She nodded, and he finally looked at her properly. She was paler looking than usual, but her slightly bushy hair still cascaded to her shoulders, and her eyes still had the determination that he had seen every time he looked at her for 6 years. She also looked much older, and, as much as he hated to admit it to himself, she was hot.

Hermione finally stole a glance at Draco. He was staring into the ocean, tossing a small stone between his fingers. His eyes were the exact same shade as the cloudless sky, and his hair was still shockingly blonde and the same colour as the sand. He too, looked older, but he had lost some of his old swagger, and it was replaced by a nervousness that echoed her own.

"Have you tried Apparating?" Hermione asked suddenly, and Draco could feel the colour rise in his cheeks.

"I...can't Apparate." He mumbled, turning away from her. "I was too young."

She nodded, not looking particularly bothered, but she seems to want to say something, but changes her mind. "We can try later."

"We?" Draco asked, turning round to face her again, and jumping to his feet. He didn't like the idea of being feet from her, never mind implying they were...allies of some sort! "There's no we." He barked, turning and stomping back to the hut.

"Don't be so touchy!" She yelled after him, but he ignored her and pushed the door open, flopping onto the armchair, running a hand through his hair, his mind working on overdrive.

Would they know where he was? Would they be worried about him? Would they try and find him, or not bother? He jumped to his feet again, unable to sit still, and beginning to regret his outburst on the beach.

His shoes were ruined with sand, so he pulled them off with his socks, and threw them into a corner.

He then trudged outside again, and walked back down towards her. She still sat in the same spot as before, with her back to him.

He stopped behind her, sighing, "Look, I know we're gonna have to do Side-Alo-...Are you crying?"

She pushed him away, but it was too late, he had already seen her tears. "Beat it Malfoy!" She muttered, standing up and storming away from him, further along the beach.

He came after her, touching her shoulder, "Look, don't-"

She whirled round, snapping, "Malfoy, if your going to make fun of me for crying, just get it over with."

"Don't worry about it." He finished, the corners of his mouth twitching at the shock on her face. After all, he had spent a good chunk of 6th Year crying in a bloody bathroom!

"Okay..." She replied uncertainly, before continuing, "Give me your wand."

He smirked as he handed one of the ones from the fight in Malfoy Manor, saying, "Just cause I was nice to you doesn't mean we can have sex."

"Haha." She replied, and he noticed she was disguising a smile, and she extended a hand towards him, making a face.

"I don't like it any more than you do." He pointed out, taking her hand, saying a mental good-bye to the beach and the hut.

"I don't think it's possible for me to not like it any less." She replied, slightly teasing.

"Where are...we...going anyways?" He asked as she took a sip of the Strengthening Potion.

"Leaky Cauldron. We get there, you can leave, then I'll Apparate again."

"Wait..." He pulled away, staring at her with mistrust, "How do I know you won't take me to Saint Potter and Weasley?"

"How the hell am I meant to know where they are?" She asked, and he shrugged, but sighed and took her hand again.

"Fine."

She twisted on the spot, and Draco winced as it felt as if he was being crushed to the ground by a giant weight pressing on his chest, before they landed, and both of them lost their footing.

Why was it so quiet? He opened his eyes blearily, and yelled out in shock.

They were back in the hut.


	4. Arguing

"Why are we still here?" Draco demanded, hauling himself to his feet using the table watching as Hermione stood slowly, studying the hut.

"Could be some sort of Anti-Apparition Charm." She replied thoughtfully, before realizing that Draco was glaring at her. "What's your problem?" She demanded, looking confused. A moment ago, before they left, their conversation had been...normal! Why had he reverted back to hating her so quickly?

"Because we're still here!" He snapped, yanking his wand out of his trouser pocket, but she ducked, and his hex flew over her shoulder.

"So?"

"So," He snarled, stepping forward, "That means we can't get out of this dump," He gestured to the hut. He stepped forward again, brandishing his wand wildly, "I tried to be...-"

"Tried to be what, Malfoy?" She interrupted furiously, "Nice? Nice isn't a word I associate with you or your family." She pulled down the collar of her robe, showing him the livid red cut that made his insides squirm, making him feel uncomfortable.

"That wasn't me." He snapped, but he couldn't look at her.

"No it wasn't. But it's the sort of thing your family does, Malfoy. Are you really like them?" She asked quietly, and he recoiled from her.

"I'm not a puppet, Granger." He replied, but his voice was cracked.

"Your a shadow. A shadow of your family's beliefs, made to follow their rules and their beliefs. So yes, you are a puppet." Her voice was low and dangerous, and he knew better than to cross an angry witch (especially one that had punched him in their Third year) but his temper had already played out.

"You know nothing about me." He hissed angrily, "Don't stand there and pretend like you know what I've been through."

"No, I don't know what you've went through." She agreed, "But I know that people change. I bet you didn't used to be like this," She gestured vaguely at his fuming self, "I bet there was a time when all you used to care about was making your parents proud, but they didn't care, did they? All they cared about was themselves."

"Don't speak about my family like that!" He yelled, firing a random curse at her, but the strength of her Shield Charm sent him flying back, landing on the bookcase, sending books scattering to the floor, landing on top of him.

He looked up to see she was kneeling by him, staring intently at him, almost waiting for him to attack her again. But he didn't move. He just lay there, staring up at her, feeling the anger melt away like ice turning into water.

"We can't just scream at each other all the time." She said softly, and the difference in her voice made him flinch involuntarily.

"What's the alternative?" He asked dryly, as she levitated the books off of him.

"One of us killing the other." She replied mildly, as if talking about the weather.

As he stood, he replied, "I think I'd have pretty good odds."

She laughed wryly, "I'd easily beat you, blindfolded."

"Ah, but your a Gryffindor, you'd be too afraid of tarnishing your good guy reputation." He smirked as he stood up, straightening his clothes.

"But your a Slytherin, so you'd be too busy running away." She replied, struggling to stop herself from giggling.

"For the brightest witch of your age, you're stupid. Snakes don't have legs!" He pointed out, rolling his eyes at her.

"But I'm a Lion, so I'd beat you anywhere, any day."

"We can do this all day, or we can get out of here." He pointed out finally, the corners of his lips turning upwards.

"Not now," She glanced out the tiny solitary window at the indigo sky, covered in a splattering of stars. "It's too late to do anything."

He nodded, her reasoning making sense, but there was only one problem. There was only one bed that two people couldn't fit in unless they were _very_ close.

"Toss a coin?" She asked, smiling at the look in his eyes.

"No," He said instantly, "You take it."

She stared at him as if he had suddenly expressed a desire to go to Mars. "What?"

"Your still not fully recovered." He pointed out, gesturing to the fact that she was leaning heavily against an armchair, "Sleeping on a floor won't help."

"But...are you sure?" She asked finally, and was still puzzled when he nodded firmly. She found a small cupboard with extra blankets, and together they made him an improvised bed on the floor, next to the door. He also silently hung a blanket in front of her bed, so they couldn't see each other, and she appreciated the gesture. It would be too weird sleeping knowing that the other could see them.

After they had both settled down, the only sound was their breathing, and the occasional nocturnal animal making noise, which made Draco jump, and be thankful that Hermione couldn't see him. He pulled the blanket to his chin, facing the door, staring at the wooden patterns etched onto it.

"Malfoy? You awake?"

Her voice was low, and uncertain, breaking the twenty or so minutes of silence. He sighed, and with noise he turned onto his back, murmuring, "Yes."

"Can't sleep either?" She asked, her voice a whisper.

"Takes me ages to sleep," He replied softly.

"Why?" She asked curiously. Her reason for not being able to sleep was obvious, but she was perplexed why he wouldn't be able to.

"Maybe I'll tell you one day," As far as their not-so relationship had gone, he hadn't told anyone about the nightmares, or the images from being a Death Eater that plagued his every waking moment. Every moment where he wasn't occupied, the images would appear out of nowhere, making him suddenly stop mid-sentence, or have to excuse himself from family dinners.

"Okay." She replied, content with his answer.

After that, they both fell asleep within a couple of minutes of each other.

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><p><em><strong>I put a StarKid quote in there, hope you liked! :D<strong>_

**_We'll gradually find out more about Draco's Death Eater life as well!_**


	5. Progress

Draco woke suddenly, surprised that he had managed to fall asleep so quickly. He groaned slightly; the repercussions of sleeping on the floor hitting him like the ton of books from last night.

He realized that what had woke him from a relatively deep sleep was the sound of crying and whimpering. Rubbing the last of the sleep from his eyes, he stood, stretching his half-asleep limbs.

Her eyes were clamped shut, but her mouth was partially opened, and her fingers were clutching either side of the bed.

When she cried out again, he bit his lip, before kneeling beside her, shaking her shoulder, whispering, "Wake up Granger..."

When she finally did wake up to see Draco's face directly beside hers, she screamed, and fired a hex at him from the wand that she had kept under her pillow for safe-keeping.

He yelled as he was sent sprawling back, landing with a thump, face first, on the floor. "Merlin!" He yelped, turning onto his back and touching his bloody nose gingerly.

"Oh my God!" She tumbled out of the bed to his side, helping him sit at the table, whilst he dabbed at his nose with the base of his jacket.

"A little warning before you attack me would be nice," He said sarcastically, but he allowed her to heal his broken nose with her wand.

"You should know better than to wake a sleeping woman." She replied, with a ghost of a smile.

"Well, you attracted anyone's attention in a five mile radius." He responded, and the colour automatically rose in her cheeks.

"You still have blood on you." She responded, ignoring his statement, and when he took off his jacket, she tore a strip off, to his indignation, and began dabbing gently at the blood around his nose, rolling her eyes at his pouting face. "You'll get over it."

He made a non-committal noise, staring out the window of the hut to the beach. The weather was warmer than yesterday already, even though the sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon.

His stomach growled, making them both look at each other, grinning hugely.

"Someone's hungry." She commented, both of them standing.

"Rather." He replied, before going to the tiny fridge and opening it. His heart sank at the sight. "Nothing!" He moaned, picking up a carton of milk and sniffing it, before wrinkling his nose with disgust. "That's revolting." He commented, replacing it and turning around to face her.

"If we're going to find a way out of here, we need to eat first." She said, assuming control.

"And how do we do that?" He asked sarcastically, gesturing to the tiny beaded bag that she was placing into her pocket, "Wait...don't tell me...There's a giant feast inside there?"

"No, that would be ridiculous." She replied, unable to stop a smile.

"Not as ridiculous as trying to get food," He pointed out, examining the hut, "Looks like whoever lived here last cleared the place of decent food."

"I've been camping for the last year," She laughed, "Finding food has become relatively easy."

As they stepped outside, he can't help analyzing her words, "Why were you camping?" He asked curiously.

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you." She teased, as they walked down to the shore together, standing quite a distance away from each other.

He smirked, but didn't say anything for a couple of seconds, until he finally said, "How were Weasley and Potter during the camping?" He sniggered, thinking of their faces, "Were they crying the whole time?"

She threw him a glare, which made him smile. "They weren't, actually." She retaliated, but he can see she isn't looking at him.

"They were whining the whole time, weren't they?" He asked, highly amused at the prospect.

"Shut up Malfoy!" She snapped, but the corners of her mouth betray her lies.

They didn't speak again until they reached the shoreline, but he was secretly laughing inside at the image of Potter and Weasley moaning and complaining.

He stared into the crystalline waters, then back at her, "And we get food from here how?" He asked, puzzled.

"Fish in the water. Wands." She waved the wand he gave her last night at him, and he rolled her eyes, but she could see he was still confused at the prospect of having to find food for himself.

"Okay..." He replied, watching as she used the wand to cut off the bottom of her jeans so they looked more like shorts, and began to wade out, impatiently beckoning him to follow.

Sighing, he pulled off his shirt and imitated her stunt with the trousers, and ran in, splashing her as he ran past, completely soaking her.

"My bad!" He yelled back, grinning as he kept running further into the water, until her Jelly-Legs Jinx sent spasms through his leg, and he tripped, flying into the water.

She couldn't stop laughing as she said the counter-spell, and her laughter reached hysterical at his attempt at keeping a dignified face as he stood up, waist-deep in water.

"Uncalled for."

"Totally called for." She called over her shoulder as she turned, ignoring the fact that she could barely keep her eyes roaming over his toned chest. She couldn't be thinking this about _Malfoy!_

He barely noticed her staring at him as he cast about, yelling in almost glee as he caught sight of a school of fish circling his feet. "Hermione!" He called, eagerness etched onto his prematurely aged face, and when she didn't immediately come, he looked over at her, and saw she was standing still like a statue, staring at him with an open-mouth.

"What?" He queried, examining himself, "I can put a shirt on if this," He made a provocative pose, which made them both smile, but she still didn't move, "Is distracting."

"No, it's not that...You called me Hermione."


	6. Opening Up

**_Thanks to leafysummers for being a great reviewer :D_**

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><p>They stand completely still, staring at each other, mouths hanging open. Draco seems to be at a loss for words, and Hermione looks as if he slapped her.<p>

"Yeah...Yeah I did." He said quietly, unable to believe he had done so.

"Why?" She asked, staring him up and down as if he was a ghost.

"I...I dunno." He said quickly, running a hand through his damp hair, making it stand on end.

She nodded, and as she approached him, he could sense she was still staring at him, so he cleared his throat and said, "Look, it was a slip of the tongue, okay? I can go back to calling you Granger, or whatever."

She shook her head once, slowly, droplets of water falling from her mass of bushy hair, "No...I liked it."

He raised an eyebrow, but merely said, "Okay."

She raised her wand, before saying, "Accio!" Draco watched, impressed despite his best efforts as a handful of fish flew out of the water and she levitated them onto Draco's abandoned shirt on the sand.

He copied her, and soon they had enough to fill his shirt, and they silently walked back to the hut together.

After Draco put the fish on the table, he turned to see she was staring into space. He waved a hand in front of her face saying, "Earth to...Hermione."

She jumped, glaring at him almost playfully. "Was just thinking."

"Anything of interest?" He asked, flopping onto the bed and sitting against the wall beside her.

"When we were camping...I had to do all this myself," She gestured to the fish, "And then I would have to cook it myself...then they would complain about it."

He sighed, before starting to argue with himself mentally. Should he take the sarky route, and cause an argument and more screaming, or should he release the inner nice guy?

"That's hardly fair. I was given food whenever I wanted it, or didn't. My bed was made before I even spoke. I was told from birth that I wasn't good enough, and I had to be better. My parents wouldn't have cared if I starved; Father only cared about _him, _and Mother was always too busy trying to placate him."

He stopped abruptly, realizing he was babbling and she was staring intently at him, "If you ever tell anyone..." He began, but they both knew it was an empty threat.

"I won't."

After numerous failed and amusing attempts at cooking, as they finished eating, the sun was just about to reach it's peak. Draco sat back, content, and looking at Hermione with an amused expression. "That was surprisingly good." He commented.

"No thanks to you." She teased, and he pretended to look shocked.

"My cooking saved it, actually."

"If we had eaten your cooking, we'd be dead," She pointed out, but laughed halfway through at his mock horror-stricken face.

"I'm going to go curl in a corner and cry. Hope you feel bad." He stomped into the hut melodramatically, and she could barely contain peals of laughter. She hadn't laughed like this, or had this amount of fun since the quest for Horcruxes began. She could barely believe it, but she felt more herself with Draco than she ever did with Harry and Ron and their constant battle to be Alpha Male.

Draco didn't in fact curl in a corner, but he did slip the Gryffindor sword from under the blankets where he had hidden it. Deciding it was due time to give it back to her, he stepped back outside.

"Hermione?" Their first name basis was still strange to the both of them.

"Finally stopped crying then?"

"Kinda..."

She turned as he thrust the sword into her hand warily, and she examined it, her mouth forming the perfect 'o'

"Is this? How?" She asked, speechless.

He gestured his head towards a small mound of sand that she hadn't noticed before, "The goblin from the Manor. He was brought here, but he was dead, so when you were out, I...He had the sword." He felt like an idiot thinking how he buried the goblin under a mound of sand.

"Thanks..." She whispered, but she jumped to her feet, groaning, "Harry and Ron need this!"

"What?" He asked, perplexed. Why would they need a sword?

She hesitated, but she reasoned that since Draco had opened up about his family, she could tell them what she had spent the last year doing. Anyway, if things got out of hand, she could always place a Memory Charm on him.

"It's a long story."

He gestured to the expanse of trees to the North that they had decided was their best bet at finding civilization. "We've got time."

They gathered all their belongings, and Hermione handed Draco a white shirt and black waistcoat she had taken from Grimmauld Place to replace his fish-covered one. "People wear these?" He asked, staring at the black trainers she had provided him with.

Rolling her eyes at his vanity, they set off into the trees, leaving behind the hut and the beach where their friendship had blossomed.

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><p><em><strong>Don't worry this isn't the last chapter, by far!<strong>_

_**This is the last we'll see of the hut and the beach though! **_

_**Next few chapters will be them walking through the forest together for a couple of nights, and their friendship begins to turn into something more as they realize they have more in common than they think, but when two people arrive on the scene, will things turn out the way they want to?**_


	7. Honesty

**_Thanks to my reviewers and suscribers, you guys rule! :D_**

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><p>"So...In order for you to kill him...you need to destroy all these Horcrux things?"<p>

Hermione nodded, ducking to avoid a low-slung branch, "Basically yeah."

He nodded slowly, trying to digest this information, "And that's what you've been doing all year? Looking for them?"

"Basically yes." She replied, glancing up at the slowly darkening sky. She had been explaining the concept of Horcruxes to Draco, and now it was roughly 3 o'clock.

"How many does he have?" He asked curiously, completely new to the concept. He had wondered why Voldemort seemed to not be afraid of death, and how he came back after the Triwizard.

"He did have seven, but he only has two now, they've been destroyed." She explained, and he nodded again.

"Where are the other two?"

"We don't know, but I have a feeling it's in Gringotts."

If he wasn't surprised by the Horcruxes, he was surprised now. "What makes you say that?" He asked, swiping aside a bush in their way.

"Your Aunt seemed to be scared when she thought we had been in her vault." She explained, before pausing to recover. It had been a long trek, and she still wasn't fully recovered.

"Sit down." He ordered, gesturing to a large rock that would seat both of them, "We'll take a break."

She nodded gratefully, and continued, "Do you know if there's anything in her vaults that You-Know-Who put there?" She asked.

He hesitated, chewing on his lower lip, thinking deeply, "Well once when we were there, she went down and refused to let any of us go with her, and she had some sort of weirdly-shaped package..." He said, remembering how he and his parents had to wait outside for nearly half an hour.

"What did it look like?" She urged, sitting forward and staring at him deeply.

"I dunno, like a goblet, or a cup I guess, it was hard to tell!" He claimed defensively, and he was surprised to see she looked elated.

"I told them!" She cheered, grinning at him, "It's Hufflepuff's cup! It's a horcrux!"

He stood up, beginning to pace, looking confused, and slightly miffed, "She would never put anything of Hufflepuffs' objects in her vault, Hermione."

"Maybe she didn't know what it was!" She pointed out, and he reluctantly nodded, although he was still disbelieving.

"So this," He gestured to the sword that he had tied around his waist with a belt, "Destroys them? And Potter and Weasley are still out looking?"

"Yes and yes. Hopefully anyway, I have no idea where they are." She explained, and he nodded again.

"May as well set off while it's still bright," He said, holding a hand out to her and helping her up.

She used her wand to find the direction North, and they set off again, passing a flask of pumpkin juice from Hermione's ever-helpful beaded bag between them.

Mostly their conversations were debating what time it was, or when they should stop, but after a couple of hours, Hermione finally said, "Do you want to do 20 questions? To pass the time."

He stopped dead, staring at her with a gaping mouth. Where had that come from? "Uh yeah sure?" He asked, trying to keep his face neutral.

"Did you like Pansy? As in, love?" She asked, keeping her eyes away from him. She was merely curious, but part of her longed the answer to be a resounding no.

He paused, swallowing a sudden lump in his throat. "I thought I did, at the start...but as we grew up, I only liked how adoring she was towards me." He stopped, running a hand through his hair, before thinking of a question, "Did you and Krum do it?" He asked evilly, and ignored her shocked look.

"No!" She shrieked, but calmed down and said, "I think he wanted to though...that's part of the reason I've never been to visit him. What was your favorite subject?" She asked, trying to steer them away from talking about relationships, but he caught on.

"That's pathetic!" He laughed, but answered, "Honestly, Defence." He admitted, "Learning all the hexes and curses was good. Do you love Weasley?" He asked suddenly.

She blushed, before looking at the dark indigo sky, patterned with stars. "Time to stop I think." She said swiftly, and he rolled his eyes at her attempt to dodge his question.

"Okay." He agreed. He set up the tent while she set about putting protection spells around them. "Whose going to come here?" He called over to her, laughing.

"Just a precaution." She smiled back, and they stepped inside the tent she had been sharing with Ron and Harry for the past year.

"I'll take top." He offered, before they sat on their respective beds, eating the last of the food and some berries that Hermione found outside.

As they settled into their beds, Draco staring at the ceiling, Hermione staring at the underside of his bed, suddenly her voice rang out, "Draco?"

"Yes?" He answered, keeping his eyes open at staring at the top of the tent.

"Tell me what you had to do. As a Death Eater." She said. It wasn't an order or a question, just a simple statement, and he didn't respond, so she said, "Talking about it will help."

"Nothing can help." He snapped back, harsher than he intended. "Most of the time...He just...stared at me. It was creepy, and then he would start looking through my memories and at the...particularly bad ones. Then he made me..." He coughed, a lump in his throat making his voice hoarse, "Torture and kill people. There was a little Muggle girl, must have been about 3. She wouldn't stop crying, then screaming, until I...I killed her." Hermione lay still, her hand over her mouth, looking shocked. "I keep seeing her face, and the faces of all the people I hurt...even the other Death Eaters, he made me punish them so they hated me, and would Crucio me whenever he wasn't there...Then I see the faces of the people I killed, and think about their families..." He trailed off, unable to talk about it any more.

"Oh Draco..." She breathed, horrified at what he was put through.

"I don't want pity." He said sharply, his eyes flashing for a second. "Pity won't bring them back."

"I know it won't. Thanks for telling me though." She said quietly, and he didn't reply for a couple of minutes.

"Your welcome." He whispered, but by her heavy breathing, he knew she was asleep.

He lay awake for around half an hour, trying to distract himself by chanting hexes in his mind, but it was useless. When he was about to get up to go outside, he heard Hermione start to whimper in her dreams again, so he lay still, biting his fists. "Hermione." He hissed, but she kept crying out.

He felt he should comfort her somehow; waking her up wouldn't achieve anything, only her being too scared to sleep again. _Why not sit beside her? Or lie beside her? _

"No!" He whispered to himself, shaking his head. As much as they had become friends, that was pushing the boundary.

But she sounded so scared...

She was awake now. He heard her breathing becoming ragged, and she coughed, before lying back down, breathing heavily.

"Draco?" She whispered, "Please tell me your awake?"

He lay there silently, his eyes boring onto the ceiling, not speaking.

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><p><em><strong>Hope you liked!<strong>_

_**The point in the ending was to show that they may well be friends, but they haven't yet reached the lovey-dovey stage yet! (Which could...potentially...happen in the next chapter...:)**_


	8. Patronuses

"Draco...Draco..."

Draco moaned, rubbing his eyes blearily as the light from the tent half-blinded his still asleep eyes, "Lemme sleep..." He muttered into his pillow, batting whoever tried to wake him away with his hand feebly.

"We need to keep going, lazy bones." Hermione chided, having already been up and getting ready for fifteen minutes.

"M'kay..." He mumbled sleepily, having finally managed to fall asleep just as the moon passed it's zenith.

When he didn't move, she pointed her wand at him, and jets of freezing cold water shot out, completely drenching him, causing him to topple of out the bed with the shock from the cold.

"Merlin!" He yelped, staring up at her with bemusement, but she couldn't stop laughing.

"I told you to get up!" She sang as she bounded off to remove the enchantments.

"And I was _getting _up!" He pointed out, shaking his hair like a dog and sending droplets of water everywhere.

"If you say so!"

"I do..." He mumbled, although she had already gone. He dried himself off with a quick drying spell, and wrapped the sword around his waist again by the belt, before wolfing down the small breakfast of berries that Hermione had left on the table. He stepped out into the sun, blinking as it's harsh rays penetrated his eyes, and saw Hermione sitting on a tree stump nearby.

As he approached her, she began talking, but it wasn't directed towards him. "Ron, Harry, it's me Hermione. I'm safe, don't worry. I'm with...Never mind, all you need to know is that I have the sword, and we're in some sort of forest place. We plan to keep walking, but I don't know where it will take us. Try not to fight too much, okay?"

He watched with amazement as a silvery otter bounded out of her wand, and bounded off towards the trees.

"Was that a Patronus?" He asked, amazed. He had never seen one up close before, only in spellbooks, but had never attempted one before.

"Yeah." She replied, and he could see she was visibly upset, but he wanted to know more about Patronuses.

"And they can carry messages?" He guessed by her talking to it.

"Yeah, it's tricky to master, but it's possible." She said, standing up.

"Can you teach me?" He asked eagerly, and she looked stunned, but nodded.

"Now?" She asked, and he nodded, "Sure, why not!"

As they walked a bit away from the tent into a clearing so they would have more room to practice, he asked, "Why didn't you do one earlier?"

"Because I didn't know we had the sword." She explained, and added, "Plus, I don't know if they're in hiding or not."

He nodded, and raised his wand, looking at her expectantly.

"First, think of a happy memory." She instructed, and he looked at her as if she had gone insane.

"Your joking right?" He queried, his eyebrows raised. They key to fighting off Dementors was...happy thoughts? It was so nostalgic he wanted to throw up!

"Just do it!"

"Fine..." He sighed, before closing his eyes. What was his happiest memory? Did he even have one? That made him feel frustrated inside; why was it so difficult to pick a happy memory? "Got one!" He said suddenly. The sole time his Father told him he was proud of him; after he got sorted into Slytherin.

"Okay, now say, Expecto Patronum! And keep the memory in your mind, okay?" She instructed.

"Expecto Patronum!" He said, but only a wisp of smoke came out. "Why isn't it working?" He demanded, getting more frustrated as he kept trying, but he could produce no more than smoke.

"Here, your doing it wrong." She suddenly stood behind him, lifting his wand arm, and doing the jab forward for him. "Like this, see?" Her breath was warm on his back, and he froze at her closeness, but he didn't push away from her.

"Expecto Patronum." He said, imitating her, and to both their surprises and elation, a silver wolf burst out, bounding around the trees, howling with delight.

"You did it!" She squealed happily, and he laughed heartily, turning to face her, their faces inches apart, and both of them stared at each other, surprised that the other hadn't pulled away.

"What did you think about?" She whispered, as the silver wolf bounded towards them.

"Just there." He whispered back, unable to believe it himself. He hadn't been thinking about a specific memory, only the feel of her hand wrapped around his, and her breath on his back. What was wrong with him?

"Oh.." She whispered, looking amazed.

"Oh." He repeated, the smallest of smiles on his face.

They stepped away from each other, Draco running a hand through his hair (which she noticed he did a lot around her) and she was twisting her fingers together nervously.

"I better...get my stuff together then." He coughed, and she nodded, watching his retreating bed as he ducked into the tent.

_What just happened? _She thought, staring at the tent flap. _He's Malfoy! He's Draco Pureblood Malfoy for God's sake!_

But why couldn't she stop thinking about him?

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><p><strong><em>I made Draco's patronus a wolf, because wolves are AWESOME! :D And I think it corresponds with his character because wolves are independent, but pack-orientated, and friendly, but if challenged they get aggressive, like Draco! :)<em>**

**_I hoped you liked the partial "lovey-dovey" (Is that what we're calling it now?) stuff! _**


	9. A Cure for Nightmares

**_Woo, thanks to my reviewers and subscribers! :D _**

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><p>Draco flopped onto the lower bunk, holding his head in his hands, omitting a soft groan. What had happened out there? Everything had started off okay, then something just...happened.<p>

He stared at his wand, before deciding to test his theory. As he stood up, Hermione shuffled in, and stopped dead when she saw him.

"Hey." She said quickly, and he nodded in greeting, not trusting himself to speak. "Where are you going?"

"Nature calls." He lied quickly, before stepping outside into the dark night.

He found the clearing easily enough, and breathed out, his breath forming a spiral of smoke in the cold air. Thinking only of his father's proud face, he said, "Expecto Patronum!"

Only a wisp of smoke came out.

"Damn it!" He cursed, staring down at his wand with annoyance. He was about to try a different route, when the sound of twigs cracking grabbed his attention. He murmured, "Lumos." And stepped forward, shining the light towards the noise. "Hello?" He called softly, but there was no reply. "I'll hex you!" He warned, but his body sagged with relief at the sight of some sort of woodland animal.

Deciding he was better off not knowing what his happy memory was, he stepped back into the tent, and saw that Hermione was curled up on her bed against the wall, her face frowning as she had a nightmare.

"Why can't you remember me?" She mumbled, her face etched with sadness that made him feel shifty.

"'Mione?" He said quietly, kneeling beside her, touching her shoulder.

She woke with a jerk, her eyes huge with fear. "It was a dream." She looked relieved, and faced him with a small smile of gratitude.

"What d'you dream about?" He asked, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"My parents." She replied, looking miserable. "I put a memory charm on them ages ago, and I dreamed I couldn't take it off, then _he _came in the room..."

He nodded slowly, well adjusted to having the Dark Lord enter his dreams and chase him around Malfoy Manor trying to kill him. "Not fun, huh?"

"Nope..." She mumbled, before he saw that she was still scared to sleep.

"You don't want to sleep again, do you?" He asked quietly, and when she hesitated before nodding, he said, "I'll sit here with you until you do." He promised, and she looked grateful.

"Why are you being nice to me?" She asked as she snuggled deeper into the covers.

"I know how it feels." He answered simply, and Hermione nodded, before closing her eyes. At first it was uncomfortable to think he was watching her, but when she opened her eyes a fraction after a few minutes, he was watching as his patronus wolf bounded around the tent, jumping off of the walls and jumping onto the couch.

Smiling, after a couple of minute she fell asleep, but began to dream of Malfoy Manor. Bellatrix was casting the Crucio on her, and the pain seemed to realistic, she could literally pain pulsing through her body. Soon though, Bellatrix's face morphed into Ron's, who was sneering down at her, before it changed to Harry, who was laughing manically.

Draco stood up, beginning to pace. This one seemed worse than the others, and he had no clue what to do. He could ignore it, like last night, or he could actually do something.

Knowing he was going to regret this, he lay on top of the bed (No way he was going underneath the covers, that would be plain wrong) and slipped his arms between hers, pulling her slightly towards him. She went still, but she didn't say anything or move, so he assumed she was still asleep. She had stopped thrashing and crying though, so he supposed it was better having to go through this embarrassment than having to sit through the night listening to her.

He was about to get back up, figuring she was fine now, but his eyes fluttered, and he fell asleep almost instantly.

His arms still wrapped around her, Hermione lay still, feigning that she was still asleep.

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><p><strong><em>Hope you liked! :D <em>**

**_Next chapter...guess Whose back? :D_**


	10. The Return

"I'm gonna kill him!"

The sound of a furious voice, and a curse being fired that mis-fired and caused the table to explode, sending pieces of wood flying everywhere woke Draco with a start. He moaned, realizing he was still locked in his embrace with Hermione, who stirred at the sound and Draco's movement. He turned, tumbling out the bed as a spell flew his way, missed, and flew out the tent.

"What?" He mumbled, still half-asleep, then realized there was two figures making their way towards him. In his fuzzy vision from sleep, he could see a mop of ginger hair, and one black-haired, before the ginger one set on him, punching him furiously. He yelled out, touching his throbbing face, before he recognized the two. "Potter? Weasley?" He snarled, before pulling himself to his feet as Hermione jumped out the bed, looking ecstatic to see Harry and Ron, but at the sight of Draco's face, she looked infuriated.

"What the hell are you doing?" She yelled, but before she could run to them, Draco put a hand in front of her, stopping her, and yelled, "Expulso!" His spell hit the table beside Harry, which exploded, sending him flying backwards, landing winded, blood trickling down the side of his face.

"You complete-" Before Ron finished bellowing this, Draco yelled, "Silencio!"

Ron continued to mouth the words, but no sound came out, making Draco roar with laughter. "Finally!" He chuckled, before silencing at Hermione's glare.

"Draco!" She reprimanded, looking shocked.

"They attacked me!" He pointed out, but before Hermione could reply, Ron leaped towards him, punching his jaw so he went flying, hitting his head off the wooden side of the beds. Grunting with pain, Draco tried to stand before Ron kicked his ribs repeatedly, causing a cracking sound that resonated through the room.

"Crucio!" Draco yelled suddenly, sending Ron back, yelling in pain on the floor, but Draco didn't let up, only stared at him coldly from his position on the floor.

"Draco!" Hermione grabbed his wand, breaking the spell, and before Harry could fire another hex at Draco, she helped him stand as he winced, she stood in front of him, glaring at Harry and Ron, who had both stood, staring open-mouthed at her.

"Hermione?" Ron gasped, looking from her to Draco with a look of shock etched onto his face.

"Yes?" She inquired, almost pleasantly, and Harry and Ron exchanged looks. That was her 'Don't mess with me, or I'll curse you into oblivion and back four times face.'

"Why are you...protecting him?" He asked, fighting to keep the anger out of his voice. He had expected to come back to a huge hug and lots of, 'I missed you sooo much!' but instead, she and Malfoy are in the same _bed?_

"Because he's not as bad as you and Harry seem to think!" She snapped back, and he flashed a smile at her, before throwing a dirty look at Harry and Ron, before sitting on the edge of the bed, breathing heavily. Harry's face was still bleeding, Ron looked as if he had just been dragged through a bush, and Draco looked as if he had been in a war. What was she supposed to do?

"Hermione, he's a Death Eater." Harry said flatly, and stepped forward, "Do you seriously think you can trust him?"

"Yes." She replied, in an equally flat tone, startling them both.

"Did he Imperio you or something?" Ron snapped, glaring at Draco who fixed him with his trademark smirk.

"Just because I have natural charm, Weasel-Bee." He replied sarkily, and Ron looked as if he was about to punch him again, so Hermione said, "Protego!"

The Shield Charm prevented Harry and Ron from coming near them, so Ron contented himself with a glare at Draco.

"He was helping me Ron. It was nothing." She replied, but they could all see she was blushing.

"That's not what he intended I'm sure." He growled, jabbing his wand at Draco, who merely rolled his eyes.

"I was helping, because there was no-one else to do so." He said, with a pointed look, which lit the fuse on Ron's short temper.

"I didn't want this!" He yelled, throwing his hands in the air, "Do you think I wanted her to be separated from us? Stuck with _you?" _

"Gosh no." Draco said in a sarcastic posh tone, "I mean, we've had a dreadful time, haven't we Hermione?"

Hermione shook her head at him, telling mentally to shut up, but Harry looked surprise. "Since when have you two been on first name basis?" He demanded, narrowing his eyes.

"Since now." Draco replied, his eyes flickering with pain as he stood. "If you'll excuse me, the tension in here is suffocating." He added something under his breath which Harry and Ron couldn't hear, but it made her push him away, and making him laugh. Harry and Ron exchanged looks of shock. Since when did _Malfoy_ laugh?

As he strolled past Harry and Ron, he barely looked at them, and when he passed them did he allow the pain to kick in. He stepped into the chilly morning air, sitting on a nearby tree-stump, listening intently.

"Why did you attack him like that?" She snapped, removing the charm, and glaring at her two best friends.

"He's Malfoy!" Ron pointed out, "And you were in the same bloody bed!"

"That was nothing!" Hermione snapped, blushing again.

"Look, it was a misunderstanding." Harry stepped forward; being the peacekeeper as always. "All we need to do is head back the way Ron and I got here, and we'll be fine."

Hermione nodded, before finally smiling at them. "I'm glad to see you."

"We missed you, 'Mione. It's not the same without you." Harry grinned, pulling her into a short embrace, before looking meaningfully at Ron, who finally managed a weak smile.

"Imagine being stuck with Harry for three days, it's not fun." He commented, before hugging her, but he seemed to want to stay there forever, so she pulled back, smiling at him.

"It's good to see you. Both of you." She grinned at them, and they laughed, things feeling like they were before the Hocrux search began.

"This is so touching!" Draco came back in, wiping away a non-existent tear. "I may throw up from the cuteness!"

"Lay off Draco!" Hermione said, but she could barely disguise her smile. Draco sauntered past Harry and Ron, who were glaring at him, and flopped onto the couch, staring lazily up at them.

"So did you manage to find any more Horcruxes, or were you too busy sniveling to do anything?" He asked, laughing to himself, resulting in stares of annoyance being directed towards him.

"You told him?" Harry demanded, wide-eyed with shock. "Hermione!"

Hermione looked too guilty to answer, so Draco replied, "Relax, I'm not gonna exactly tell anyone, am I?" He demanded, giving a sharp laugh.

"How are we supposed to know?" Harry muttered, but he merely said, "Yeah, we actually did get one."

"What?" Hermione looked shocked, but excitedly jumped up and down. "How?"

"Dobby." He explained, "Once we got out of Malfoy Manor, we spent the day at Bill's before we disguised Ron with a spell, and I hid under the Invisibility Cloak. Then we went, and Dobby said that he was the Malfoy's house-elf and Bellatrix needed something out of her vault so she sent him...and he still had his mark of loyalty, so it was pretty convincing."

"Where is Dobby?" She asked, looking around, but she couldn't see him.

"On the way out, someone must have sounded the alarm." Harry said quietly, his fists bunched up.

"He's dead." Ron explained, looking morose.

"Then we managed to fight past them because there wasn't too many, and we found some broomsticks, and here we are." Harry finished, glancing at Malfoy who was looking between the three of them, a look of almost boredom on his face.

"Problem?" Harry snapped, and Malfoy turned to look at him, smirking.

"No, I'm enthralled by your tale of bravery." He said snidely, and Harry rolled his eyes at him.

"Let's just leave, okay?" Hermione said quickly, and the three of them nodded.

"We'll wait outside." Ron said swiftly, his eyes roaming over the mess, and he almost flew outside, Harry following him, not wanting to be left with tidying the destruction they had caused.

"Draco?" Hermione said, watching him as he stood shakily. The only sign he gave he was listening was looking at her briefly, so she continued, "Why did you do that...last night?"


	11. The Sword and the Snake

**_I know, I'm such a bad person! My computer broke and I've had looooads of tests!_**

**_Hope you enjoy anyways! :)_**

**_Thanks to my viewers, reviewers etc :D_**

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><p>Draco froze, his face one of denial. "Don't know what your talking about."<p>

"Draco, come on." She sighed, exasperated. "We both know what happened...what I don't know is why?"

He swallowed, tugging at his collar that suddenly seemed to restrict his breathing, "You seemed upset, okay? I didn't know what to do, and I panicked!"

She nodded, and looked at the floor to avoid looking at him, "Thanks." She said softly, and he cracked a weak smile.

"No problem."

With that, they hurriedly repaired the mess made during the fight, and when they wordlessly gathered their belongings and stepped outside, Harry and Ron were crouched beside a small cup, as if locked in a vicious staring contest.

"Is that the Cup?" Hermione asked, sounding intrigued, and when Harry nodded, she gestured to the sword slung around Draco's waist. "Destroy it." She said to him, and he looked surprised.

"You want me to destroy part of my Master, my Lord, _the greatest legilimens the world has ever known,_ soul?"

"So he is your Master then?" Ron demanded, his ears pricking up like a bloodhound finding a scent.

"Stop trying to cause a fight Ron!" Hermione scolded, before facing Draco, "I think it will help with the..." She leaned forward and whispered so Harry and Ron couldn't hear, "Nightmares."

"What about yours?" He whispered back, ignoring the looks of fury and suspicion directed towards him.

"I have someone to help me with mine," She whispered back, and his whole face seemed to light up.

"Okay, fine." He agreed, before unsheathing the sword.

"Cut the head off." Harry advised, finally looking at Draco, relieved he wasn't the one having to destroy it.

"Okay." He raised the sword above his shoulder, but as the blade was about to touch the cup, a deranged hissing noise came from it.

_"Draco Malfoy..." _It hissed, and he lowered the sword, looking shocked as a snow-white apparition of Voldemort appeared.

"Don't listen Malfoy!" Ron yelled, familiar with the Horcrux trying to manipulate feelings, but Draco was staring at it raptly, not paying attention.

_"Unloved by a father who was constantly disappointed...A shadow of his glory...even your mother prefers him..." _He shook his head rapidly, dropping the sword to cover his ears, but the words penetrated through. Hermione tried to pick the sword up, but some sort of bubble surrounded Draco and the cup, and the others were left on the other side. _Surrounded by enemies...they would much rather you were dead...even the one who you have becomes friends with hates you..._

"No!" He yelled, before diving to the ground and grabbing the sword, swinging wildly and slicing the head of the goblet off. He lay panting on the floor, staring up at the trio who were staring from him to the cup. "What?" He snapped, the colour creeping up his neck.

"Nothing," Hermione replied for them, picking up the broken pieces and shoving them into her beaded bag, before dismantling the tent with her wand and packing it in as well as Draco stood, brushing the leaves and dirt from his clothes.

"Here," He extended the sword towards Harry, frowning at it. That sword gave him the creeps; it was as if it repelled him.

Harry took it silently, before tying it to his belt, before reaching into his pocket, and shoving something into Draco's palm, "Take this."

He stared down at it. It was some sort of necklace, with a snake-like S engraved onto it. "Wasn't this one of the horcruxes?" He asked, remembering Hermione telling him.

"Yeah, but the soul bit's gone." Harry explained, "And it used to be Salazar Slytherin's."

Draco nodded slowly, before tying it around his neck. It made him feel less alone, surrounded by Gryffindors.

"We going then?" Ron asked impatiently, having been watching the exchange with distaste.

"Sure." Draco said, and they set off the way Harry and Ron had come.

"How did you find us, by the way?" Hermione asked curiously as they trekked through the trees. The three of them were grouped together, and Draco was slightly in front, his ears pricked and listening to their conversation.

"You'll never believe it," Ron said quickly, interrupting Harry who was about to speak, "Someone left a note at Bill and Fleur's, telling us where to go!"

Draco spun round, walking backwards and studying them, "Who was it from?" He asked.

"Dunno, had no name." Harry said, now that Ron suddenly seemed reluctant to talk. "And there was no security enchantments around the tent." He looked at Hermione, surprised that she would oversee such a thing.

"Well we were distracted." She replied snappishly, and Draco turned back around, but he had the smallest of smiles on his face.

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><p><em><strong>Sorry for ending it at such a random place, but I have a Chemistry NAB tomorrow! :(<strong>_


	12. Getting to Know You

"Should we camp here then?"

Hermione's voice echoed through the clearing, loud so Draco, who was kneeling by a lake a few metres away, could hear.

"Yeah sure." He said distractedly, whilst glancing back from his reflection to Hermione, "Do you have a razor, I feel like a Wandless." He muttered, running a hand through the stubble that had begun to form around his chin. He also tugged at the end of his hair, which was significantly longer than usual.

"Here," Harry reached into his rucksack and threw something at him, which he caught and examined. It was the enchanted razor Bill and Fleur had given Harry for his 17th.

"Thanks." Draco mumbled awkwardly, and Harry nodded before turning away as Draco ordered the razor to work.

Once he had finished, Hermione came over, laughing at his stricken face staring at his longer hair. "Keep it." She advised, and he looked up at her, confused. "It suits you. It looks the same as it did in 3rd Year." She added, smiling reminiscently.

"Ahh, that was a fun year." He started laughing suddenly, "Got slashed by a giant chicken and punched by you...Was it the hair that made you punch me? Jealous?" He teased, and she started laughing.

"It was a hippogriff, not a chicken!" She corrected, her perfectionist nature getting the better of her. "And no, it was because you were being a complete..." She stopped, and he grinned.

"Can you not think of any words to sum up my incredibleness?" He asked, lying back on the damp grass, grinning hugely.

"No, there just isn't any word in the dictionary to describe how horrible you are." She gave him a sweet smile, and sat cross-legged in front of him.

"I seem to recall the words, Loathsome, foul cockroach being used?" He pointed out, sitting up and facing her.

"Even that isn't adequate enough."

"That's just harsh," He commented, pretending to wipe away a tear, watching Harry and Ron skulk into the tent with armfuls of wood.

"It's the truth though." She smiled, and he stood suddenly, a mischievous look in his eyes.

"Oh really?" He asked, before she stood up, nodding, "Really."

"Merlin!" He yelled suddenly, pointing to something behind her, and she jumped, whirling round to look at what had scared him, before she felt two hands on her back, before she was in the water. She shook the hair out of her eyes, shaking her head as she rose above the waterline to see Draco in stitches on the brink. "Okay, that was revenge." He chuckled as she swam to the side, shaking her head with reproach.

"Help me up." She whined, an idea forming in her head as she raised a hand towards him.

"I think your more than capable of getting out," He said, rolling his eyes.

"Fine, I'll get Ron to help me," She said cheekily, before about to yell his name, when Draco quickly thrust his hand towards her.

"Fine." He grumbled, as she joined hands with him, and he yelled as she pulled him into the icy water.

Spouting water out of his mouth like a fountain, his hair plastered to his skull, he glowered at Hermione, who was giggling, still in the water.

"Uncalled for." He muttered, swimming towards her.

"Totally called for." She corrected, grinning at his peeved face.

"Oh really?" He asked, before splashing her with water, making her squeal, before he lay on his back, floating easily, sticking his tongue out at her glaring face.

"Hate you." She muttered, and he smiled.

"Love you too." He chuckled, before her face suddenly went pale, and he jumped a mile in the air, shaking his head, desperately trying to cover his mistake. "No no no, not literally!" He yelped. "I just meant...like..." He struggled to form words, and she managed a faint smile.

"I know what you meant," She said, her throat suddenly dry.

He nodded briefly, relieved, and they both pulled themselves out, walking back to the tent a metre apart, not making eye contact.

Harry and Ron were already asleep, Harry sprawled on the couch, Ron on the top bunk. Draco picked up a note on the table and read aloud, _"Ron and I flipped a coin. I lost." _He looked up at Harry's scowling asleep face and chuckled, before noticing the writing had changed, it was now scrawled and slanted, _"Don't get any ideas, Malfoy. There's a thing called a floor." _He laughed wryly and Hermione looked outraged at Ron's asleep face, shaking her head.

"I swear I'm going to kill him one day..." She muttered, before glancing at the bed, biting her lip, then looking back at Draco.

"I'll sleep outside." He mumbled, about to step outside when she rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm.

"You'll mess up your back," She pointed out, and he shrugged, shuffling his feet like a five year old being told off by a parent.

"So?" He mumbled.

"So, I'm not letting you." She said firmly, as she grabbed the pillow from underneath Ron's head and pulled it out, but he only moaned slightly before shifting and staying silent. She crawled into the bed, and set the pillow up so when he lay down, they would be separate. "Just do it..." She rolled her eyes as he hesitated, before climbing in, and facing away from her.

"They'll be ecstatic when they wake up," He commented dryly, but he was smiling.

"They'll get over it," She said dismissively.

They lay in silence for around ten minutes, the only noises being soft breathing and the occasional snore from Ron, which would set Hermione off in a giggling fit.

"Can't you use a silencing charm?" Draco muttered, his voice muffled against the pillow, his hands over his ears.

There was a moment's pause, before he heard her whisper, "Silencio!"

Thankfully, their ears were spared the trauma, and he lay on his back, relieving the tension on his ears. "Thank Merlin," He muttered, "How did his room-mates put up with him?"

"Harry said they used to throw things at him until he shut up," Hermione giggled, and Draco snorted with laughter. "Who did you share with?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Blaise, Jared, Crabbe and Goyle." He reeled off, counting them on his fingertips.

"Whose Jared?" She asked, vaguely remembering his name.

"He was like the less-known Fred and George of Slytherin," He laughed suddenly, "Remember the time Flitwick had a sign on his door saying 'Welcome to Emerald City'? That was us!"

"That was you?" She gasped, remembering seeing the sign and laughing, "How did you know what the Wizard of Oz is?" She asked, curious because she and Harry had to explain to Ron.

"Jared was a Half-blood," He explained simply, "He told me about it, and we thought it would be a good idea."

"Tell me more about your Slytherin life," She begged, curiosity getting the better of her.

He rolled his eyes, but coughed, and began, "When your Sorted, your given a week to break three school rules. I stole Snape's wand, told a House-elf Quirrel wanted a ton of garlic and I left a note saying it was from the vampires and, with a fifth years help, bewitched the Sorting Hat to scream curses at people who were sent to the Headmaster's." He paused, listening to her laughter with a smile, and continued, "Then Jared and I...-" She listen to his smooth voice narrate their various pranks, and couldn't help laughing at all of them, from the mild telling Moaning Myrtle to "Get a life" to levitating cats into McGonagall's office.

"How did we never hear about these?" She asked, wiping away tears of laughter, and surprised that Harry and Ron hadn't woken up with the noise.

He shrugged, even though she couldn't see him, "We were always considered the bad guys, I guess. No-one from other Houses talked to us that much, which suited us just fine."

She nodded, feeling slightly ashamed that she had fallen in with the prejudiced views that Slytherin were evil, "For the record, your proof not all Slytherins are evil." She said quietly.

"And your proof that not all Gryffindors are stuck-up losers." He replied softly, and they both smiled, before dozing off.

Meanwhile in the darkness, Ron clenched his fist. The snores had been fake.

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><p><em><strong>Yeah, I know I used the, Oh my Gawd, they're awake! thing again, but I thought it was cool x) <strong>_

_**Hope you liked!**_


	13. Snatchers

**_Thanks to all my reviewers! :D_**

**_Leafysummers asked for some Ron-Draco moments, so I added a wee bit in for you :)_**

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><p>"Malfoy...Malfoy wake up..."<p>

Draco groaned, pressing his face into his pillow and batting away the hands that were shaking him. "Go way." He mumbled. It had seemed he had only been at least twenty minutes since he had fallen asleep.

"Get up!" The voice was impatient now, and continued pushing him until he finally turned around, blinking in the sudden light at the sight of Ron standing sheepishly by the bed, looking frustrated.

"Wuzzgoinon?" He yawned, sitting up and making sure he didn't wake Hermione; a gesture that Ron noticed with a slight downturn of his lip.

"We need to talk." Ron stated, stepping back as Draco stood, pulling a jumper out of Hermione's bag.

"What about?" Draco asked cautiously, stretching his tired limbs. "And why couldn't it have waited till morning?"

"Because I have to get it off my chest." Ron said simply, stalking outside and Draco reluctantly followed.

Ron kept walking until they reached the edge of the trees where their protective spells ended. Draco caught up with him, shivering in the freezing cold air. Jack Frost was in a sour mood.

"Well?" Draco asked, impatient of having to stand here in the middle of a freezing cold night. "Are we gonna stand here till we freeze to death?"

"Do you like her?" Ron asked brusquely, to Draco's surprise, and he laughed shortly.

"Hermione?" He asked, and when Ron nodded bluntly, he laughed even harder. "Come on Weasley, are you being serious?"

"Deadly." Ron replied, and Draco saw that his hand was tapping absent-minded on the wand that stuck out the back of his pocket. Draco's own wand was up his sleeve, an old habit he had yet to shake.

"Weasley?" Draco asked, staring from the wand to him. "You have some serious jealously issues..."

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't hex you into oblivion right now." Ron demanded, gritting his teeth.

"Because you'll die without getting to look at my sexiness every second of the day?" He smirked, before realizing this wasn't the best situation to be sarcastic in.

"Don't push me Malfoy," Ron snapped.

"It's not my fault your puppy crush likes me," Draco said, smirking even wider, "Maybe I should go ask her out right now, you wouldn't mind, would you?" He asked innocently, no real intention of doing so.

"I'm going to kill you!" Ron suddenly yelled, pushing Draco and causing him to step a few feet back, outside the perimeter.

"Merlin, Weasley! Take a joke!" Draco said, pulling out his wand as Ron's spell narrowly missed his head. "Expulso!" He yelled, aiming it at the tree by Ron's head, but Ron easily protected himself with a Shield Charm.

"Expelliarmus!" Ron yelled, sending Draco's wand flying away from the direction of the tent. Draco scrambled after it, but Ron beat him to it, and kicked it out of reach. Just as Ron was about to hex him, Draco punched his jaw, sending him crashing to the floor, and stood above him, breathing heavily.

"Calmed down yet?" He asked, smirking at the barely contained rage in his eyes.

"No," Ron replied, grabbing Draco's leg and pulling it, winding Draco.

"Oh, your bloody dead for that." Draco groaned, struggling to be able to regain the ability of breathing.

"Now what have we got here then?"

The voice wasn't Ron's, and it was far deeper than Harry or definitively Hermione. He woozily sat up, seeing they were surrounded by three figures in long black cloaks. One of them pulled Draco to his feet, wrapping an arm around his throat which restricted his breathing, whilst the other did the same to Ron.

"Who are you?" Draco gasped, standing on tip-toe to breathe.

The man pulled down his hood, and smiled a smile of broken teeth. "Snatchers."

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><p><em><strong>Sorry for shortness, schoolwork's piling up as I write this :( Hope you liked though!<strong>_


	14. Dragomir Leinstein

_**Thanks soooooooo much to all my reviewers and suscribers, you should see me whenever I get another one, I look like I'm high on caffeine! :D**_

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><p>Draco suddenly stopped fighting against his captor, and stared at Ron, who was looking nervous; this being his third encounter with Snatchers. "Oh." Draco said quietly, internally cursing Ron for causing the fight.<p>

"Names?" The seemingly leader demanded, first looking at Draco who stood taller, and began saying, "Dra-" but Ron was shaking his head an inch, his eyes conveying a warning. "Dra...gomir."

Ron looked like Draco had just pronounced himself as Harry Potter, and Draco closed his eyes, groaning to himself.

"Dragomir?" The Snatcher sneered, before consulting a little black book. "Last name?"

"Leinstein." He invented wildly, having seen something about a Leinstein the Bloody during a History of Magic research project.

"Dragomir Leinstein?" The Snatcher asked, looking skeptical, but couldn't find the name on his list. "Where are you from, Dragomir?"

"I grew up in...Russia. Then I moved here when I was 2." He improvised, the Slytherin ability to lie being at his advantage.

"Blood Status?"

Draco looked appalled to be asked such a question, but answered, "Pure-blood."

"Sure," The Snatcher holding Draco scoffed, but the Leader silenced him with a glare, before turning to Ron.

"And you, ginger?"

"Barney Weasley." He said easily, the seconds he had to invent a character adding substance to the lie.

"A Weasley? Explains the hair!" The Snatcher holding Ron laughed, and the others smirked.

"Blood Status?"

"Pure-blood."

"Blood traitor." The Leader corrected, spitting on the ground, but Ron didn't react, although Draco could see his eyes were flaring.

"Are they on the list, Alex?" The Snatchers were growing impatient with their leader, who scowled at them.

"No." He snapped, before facing Draco again.

"What does your father work as?" He demanded, looking at him with annoyance.

"He works for the Minister." He replied easily, not loosing his calm.

"Oh does he really?" Alex chuckled, before throwing a look at Ron. "What about you, ginger?"

"He's a Healer." Ron said, scowling at the use of the word ginger.

"Seems fair enough, Al." The Snatcher holding Draco pointed out.

"Shut up Jack, they could be lying." Alex snapped, before Accioing Draco's wand from the forest floor, and Ron's from the Snatcher holding him.

"Jack, take blondie. Mike, take ginger. We're going back to the hotel before we make a decision."

Mike and Jack nodded, pushing Draco and Ron in front of them, forcing them to walk by jabbing their wands at their backs.

"This is your fault!" Ron muttered under his breath, and Draco threw a look of hatred towards him.

"If you weren't so bloody insecure, we'd be fine!" Draco muttered back, before looking back at Jack. "Why can't we just Apparate?" He moaned, having only have received twenty minutes of sleep after walking all day.

"'Cause Jackie never passed," Mike sniggered, and Jack punched his arm.

"Shut up!" He snarled, and then he glared at Draco, "Turn back around, and quit complaining!"

Draco complied reluctantly, but after ten minutes of walking, his feet began to tire. Ron was basically sleep-walking, and asked, "How much further?"

"Five minutes!" Mike snapped, cuffing him over the head, reeling him.

After half an hour of walking, they finally reached a road. The rain was beginning to pour down on them, and when it hit the road, it created an eerie sort of mist. Alex lead them hurriedly across the abandoned street to an extremely shabby looking hotel, called the "Star Hotel." Most of the letters were missing.

As they stepped onto the kerb, two woman dressed in what would only be explained as nothing sauntered over to them, cigarettes dangling from their mouths. Draco and Ron, who were raised by wizards, had no idea what or who they were, but Jack and Mike were both Half-blood, so knew about them.

"Keep walking." Alex called from in front, rolling his eyes, used to his friends desires.

They looked sullen as they entered the hotel. A lone desk sat in the middle with a man in a suit three times too small sat, devouring the remnants of a chippy. He barely noticed as they stepped by him, into a tiny lift that a mouse would have found small.

Pressed together in the lift, Draco could barely contain a look of disgust, which amused Ron to no end. "Well this isn't at all awkward." Draco muttered, and Ron smirked, before Draco felt a fist hitting the back of his neck.

"Shut up."

They stepped out on floor 5, and entered a small room numbered 550. It contained a double bed and a single bed, and a third of the floorboards were missing or decaying so badly that if you stepped on them you would surely fall through. Jack pushed Draco to the floor on one side of the bed, before finding a pair of handcuffs in a small drawer beside the bed. "What the Hell are they?" Draco demanded, looking perplexed, whilst Jack and Mike sniggered.

"Here," Jack tossed another pair to Mike, who pushed Ron down on the floor on the opposite side of the bed, before attaching one end of the cuffs to the bed, the other tightly to Ron's wrist, which caused him to yelp in pain. Jack did the same to Draco, who imitated Ron's noise of pain, before rubbing his wrist with his free hand.

"Can we go now?" Mike appealed to Alex, who was opening the corner of the curtain to see that a whole car of half-naked woman had pulled up, most of them drunk out of their minds.

"It's not as if they are going anywhere!" Jack pointed out, joining them by the door.

"Fine." Alex agreed, before shoving their wands into his back pocket. He checked Ron's pockets for anything they could use to escape, and took the Deluminator, examining it, before thinking it was a lighter and pocketing it. He approached Draco, and rifled through his pockets and found nothing, but saw the Slytherin locket and yanked it off his neck, to Draco's protests. "Hey look here boys! Look like we caught ourselves a Slytherin...or a pretty good thief!" He chuckled before pocketing the chain and leaving, closing the door behind him.

"Well..." Draco muttered, "This is fan-freaking-tastic."

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><p><em><strong>Hope you liked it!<strong>_

**_Don't worry, next chapter will have...Dramoine! :D _**


	15. I Spy

**_Thanks to my reviewers! :D_**

**_To clear up confusion, the reason the Snatchers didn't go into/see the tent was because Hermione had set up the protective charms, but they found Draco and Ron because when they started fighting, they went outside the boundary! :) Hope that clears it up :D_**

**_Oh, and don't worry, the reason why the chandelier was a Portkey will be explained...soon! :)_**

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><p>Draco tugged on the handcuffs, but they wouldn't budge, he only succeeded in rattling the bed. "This is your fault." He muttered viciously, turning his head but unable to see Ron over the bed.<p>

"My fault?" Ron demanded sounding furious, "Dragomir Leinstein? Seriously?"

Draco couldn't respond to this, so he searched around for something to aid his failed attempts at freeing himself. "If I get out of here, I'm leaving you here." He muttered to himself, although Ron could hear.

"Vice versa." Ron snapped back, and Draco could hear him scrabbling around.

After ten minutes of trying to prise them off with his teeth, Draco gave up, and leaned his head against the side of the bed with a sigh. A couple of minutes later, Ron did the same.

"Do you think they'll take us to...him?" Draco asked suddenly, a lump rising in his throat. How would he explain his absence? Would they be astonished when he told them the extent of his new-found friendship with Hermione?

"Maybe." Ron's reply was hesitant, but honest, and Draco nodded slowly.

"How long d'you think it'll take for them to realize we're gone?" He asked, drumming a beat on his knees with his fingers.

"Both of them are deep sleepers," Ron pointed out, "So I'd say too long..." He trailed off, sounding nervous.

"So basically, we're screwed?" Draco asked with a short laugh, and he was surprised to hear the sound of Ron laughing.

"I guess so." He responded, smiling despite their predicament.

There was a few moments of silence before Ron finally commented, "I never thought I would die like this."

"We're not gonna die, Weasley." Draco replied, although the likelihood the three Snatchers would return drunk out of their minds and decide that "Dragomir" and "Barney" weren't worth their bother, they would most surely kill them.

"You know as well as I do, Malfoy," Ron sounded resigned, but Draco wasn't so ready to commit to the idea of dying.

"Look, we'll get out of here, then I'll kill you!" Draco said, somehow managing to twist himself so he could lie down.

Ron's reply didn't register in Draco's brain; he was staring underneath the bed at something. It was some sort of metallic thing that lay halfway between Ron and Draco. "Weasley!" He hissed, and he saw Ron lie flat on his stomach, one hand suspended by the cuffs.

"What?" He demanded, looking impatient.

"Your dad knows Muggle stuff, doesn't he?" He asked, and when Ron nodded, looking confused, he continued, pointing his free hand at the device, "What's that?"

Ron squinted at it, before saying, "I think that's what Muggles call a skew."

"What does it do?"

"It holds stuff together or something." Ron said dismissively. Muggle contraptions bored him.

"Is it sharp?" Draco asked, and when realization hit Ron's face and he nodded, they both looked at each other.

Who would reach it first?

"I saw it first!" Draco yelled, but Ron ignored him, and they both squeezed themselves under the bed. Draco shuffled as far along as he could with the cuff dragging him backwards, but his fingers only brushed against it. Ron was in the same predicament, but was attempting to swing his leg around to pull it towards him, and was failing.

"Damn it!" Draco hissed, giving up and lying on the floor under the bed, unable to summon the energy to move.

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><p>"Hermione...wake up!"<p>

Hermione woke to Harry kneeling on the bed, shaking her awake. "What's wrong?" She asked, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, yawning.

"Ron and Draco are gone, and I don't think they are exactly eloping together..." Harry said, stepping off the bed and watching as she made a horrified face.

"What do you mean, gone?" She demanded, pulling herself out the bed, and studying the tent, but her and Harry were the only occupants.

"I mean they aren't here." Harry said, and Hermione glowered at his feeble attempt at sarcasm.

"How did you wake up?" She asked as they stepped out into the freezing pre-morning air.

"I needed to pee," Harry said defensively, and Hermione shook her head, regretting asking the question.

They reached the end of their protective spells, and Hermione saw that the footprints lead outside of their perimeter. "Why would they have gone out of range?" Hermione asked, and Harry merely shrugged. They stepped out of their safe zone, and saw that their was five sets of footsteps leading as far as they could see.

"Snatchers maybe?" Harry asked, and watched as Hermione bent down, picking something up off the ground, and brushing the dirt off.

"It's Draco's." She said, holding it to the minimal light that the sliver of moon offered.

"You sure?" Harry asked uncertainly.

"Look, it has the Malfoy coat of arms on it," Hermione passed it to him and he examined it, nodding, recognizing the symbol from the Malfoy section of the family tree in Grimmauld Place. He passed it back to Hermione, and was about to go pack up the tent when Hermione stopped him, pushing him forward, and they began following the footprints.

"Aren't we packing?" He asked, perplexed, and Hermione scowled at him.

"They could be in serious danger! The Snatchers could have killed them!" Hermione pointed out, her voice rising an octave as she imagined finding Draco and Ron's dead bodies among the trees.

"It's more likely they would have killed each other, 'Mione." Harry pointed out as they set off at a run, and Hermione couldn't help grinning at the idea.

* * *

><p>"Window?"<p>

"No."

"Wall?"

"Nope."

"Wardrobe?"

"Yep."

Ron cheered quietly, and Draco lay in the same position as before, when they were fighting over the metal device, staring at the underside of the bed. Ron was lying in a similar position to him, but he was lying on his stomach, his voice muffled because his face was in the carpet.

"I Spy, with my little eye...something beginning with B." He said, after a moment's pause. They had been playing I Spy for more than fifteen minutes now, after Ron had learned the game from Harry. It had saved them from boredom during their camping trip, and he had taught Draco how to play.

"Bed...again." Draco mumbled, watching as a spider made it's way across the wood. He heard Ron curse, and thought for a moment, before saying, "I Spy with my little...-" He cut off at the sound of the lift wheezing to life. It had happened multiple times already, and the people had walked past their room, ignoring the noise of people shaking the bed, yelling, "Help!" They had more pressing matters on their minds than people who were too loud having fun.

"Do you think it's them?" Ron asked, referring to the Snatchers.

"I hope to Merlin it is," He replied, to Ron's surprise.

"Why?"

"'Cause if I have to sit any longer in this bloody room with you, I'll beg them to kill me." He responded, the ghost of a smirk on his face.

"Shut up Malfoy," Ron snapped, but before Draco could reply, he heard a voice whispering something, and a lock clicking open.

"Take the ginger first!" Draco yelled, assuming it was the Snatchers returning, and Ron glared at him.

"Blondes are stupid! Kill him first!" Ron retaliated, to Draco's annoyance.

"He's got no soul!"

"That's not even true!"

"Told you." The voice was higher than the Snatchers, but still masculine. Draco and Ron froze, and looked at each other, the voice being familiar. "Harry?" Ron asked, hope in his voice.

"You betcha."

Draco saw Harry kneel beside Ron and easily open the cuffs with his wand, and Draco turned to his left to see Hermione kneeling beside him, a huge grin on her face. "Surprise." She chuckled at his shocked face, and she easily severed the cuffs. Draco crawled out the bed, standing woozily. Harry and Ron were wrapped in a man-hug, and Hermione was looking at him, slightly awkwardly.

"Thanks." He said, running a hand through his hair, for the millionth time around her.

"Oh, just come here!" Hermione rushed at him, and hugged him, to his bewilderment. His hands automatically went round her, and she pressed against him so hard that she could feel his heartbeat echo her own. "I thought you were as good as dead," She whispered, and he smiled.

"If I had to play another round of I Spy, I would've been." He replied, and she laughed, before pulling herself off him, giving him a small smile. They turned to see Harry and Ron were staring at them, Ron's jaw nearly touching the floor, but before either of them could speak, someone opened the door, and stood, wand aimed at the four of them.

"Well well well, what have we got here?" Alex said, his voice laced with drink and sarcasm. "You've brought us some little friends?"

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><p><em><strong>I know there wasn't maybe as much Dramoine as you were hoping for, but I'm <span>sure <span>you'll love next chapter...hehe :3**_


	16. Information

**_Ahhhh! :D Guess who passed Chemistry? :D And Maths! :D And who isn't getting kicked out of Higher Chemistry or Int2 Maths? :) Thought I would share with you all my excitement! :D_**

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><p>"Drop them," Alex barked, gesturing to their wands, aiming his at Harry and Ron. Harry and Hermione had no choice but to drop their wands to the floor, and with a smirk, he Accioed them to him, catching them with his free hand. "So, who have we got here?" He slurred, stepping forward and studying Harry, who looked furious. "Whats your name?" He asked, somehow managing to make a simple question sound drunk.<p>

"Dudley." He replied stolidly, standing stiffly. Alex looked as if he was about to accept this, but then, by chance, a sliver of light crept through the curtains, illuminating Harry's face.

"'Old on..." He came closer, moving Harry's fringe aside with his wand, and at the sight of the scar he was close to jumping up and down. "Harry Potter!" He yelled, looking at Ron, "The Weasley boy from the papers!" He exclaimed, looking at Hermione, struggling in his cloud of drunkenness to put a name next to her face, "That Granger girl!" He said, excitement building inside him. He had found the three most wanted people in the country! "But who are you?" He asked, stepping towards Draco, who stood stock still, barely breathing.

"I told you already." Draco snapped, hoping his cracking voice didn't betray his fear. Alex pulled the Slytherin locket out of his back pocket, and stared from it to Draco, and he looked astounded. "Draco Malfoy?" He demanded, and Draco didn't reply. "Why are you with _these _people?" He asked, jerking his thumb at the trio, who were exchanging looks of fear. When Draco didn't move or speak, Alex turned back to Harry, and strolled towards him, laughing manically. "Mister Harry Potter..." He grinned hugely, rocking on the balls of his feet. "There is a lot of people looking for you, yet I'm the one who found you!" He jeered, a sense of pride rushing through him.

"You didn't find me," Harry snapped, "I came here myself."

"No-one cares about the specific details!" Alex chuckled darkly, and, his back being to Draco and Hermione, didn't see the thought passing in their eyes, before they both leaped forward, Draco grabbing his neck and pulling him down, and Hermione grabbing the wands and performing a swift Silencing Charm.

Draco and Alex crashed to the floor, and as Draco let go and shuffled backwards, Hermione immobilized Alex. Draco stood, breathing heavily and looking from Ron to Harry to Hermione. "That was too close." He commented, flopping onto the bed, twisting his fingers together nervously.

"D'you think the others will come back?" Ron asked, finding his and Draco's wands in Alex's pocket, and throwing that and the locket to Draco, before pocketing his Deluminator.

"Eventually," Hermione replied, checking the window, but in the pouring rain, there was no-one outside.

"Let's leave then!" Harry said, almost impatiently. There was something about this situation, maybe the proximity of a Snatcher and two others, that made him feel on edge.

"We need to find out what's been going on since we've been away." Ron said quietly, his eyes suddenly turning hard.

"We can grab a newspaper from somewhere Ron." Hermione pointed out as Draco stood, keen to leave.

"We don't know what kind of price is on our heads, 'Mione." Harry agreed, and Draco noticed he was glancing towards him.

"And to see what people make of my disappearance?" He asked coldly, and Harry shrugged.

"They might think we were involved somehow." Ron retorted, standing by Harry's side. Hermione remained between them, in case a fight should break out.

"So, say we did find out everyone thought you three were involved in me going missing," Draco said, his voice cold and furious, "What would happen?"

"We wouldn't have any other choice." Ron said, although the seriousness of his words were a contrast to the look of thrill in his eyes of abandoning Draco.

"So you would just leave me here?" Draco asked, looking at the three of them. Harry looked nervous, Ron looked neutral and Hermione was shuffling about nervously.

"If that's what it came to." Ron replied, and Draco looked at Hermione, who hadn't spoke.

"What about you?" He asked, almost pleadingly. "Would you just leave me here and run off with them?"

"Of course not," Hermione said dismissively, glaring at Ron and Harry.

"Well, how do you propose we get this information out of him?" Draco demanded, trying not to show his elation. "Unless you have any Veritaserum?" He glanced at _that _beaded bag, but Hermione shook her head.

"There's only one other way," Ron said quietly, although his voice was shaking slightly, and Draco's eyes widened at what he was implying.

"Your even crazier than I thought," He muttered, and Ron glared at him.

"Well what do you suggest?" Ron snapped, and Draco was at a loss.

"Well, do you even know how to do a Cruciatus curse?" He demanded, and Ron shook his head.

"No, but you do." His voice was neutral, and Draco looked so shocked that Hermione felt a rising sense of guilt.

"We can't make him do that, Ron!" She scolded, looking at Draco who looked as if Ron had just slapped him. "You don't have to do it Draco." She said quietly, and he looked down at her, and she noticed his hands were shaking, so she took them in her own. "We can find another way."

"What else is there?" He asked, his voice low and husky. "We need to find out what he knows." Already the images were flashing back. The little Muggle girl, screaming and crying. The old man, who kept screaming his deceased wife's name as _he, _Draco Malfoy, performed the curse on him. He closed his eyes and shook his head to rid himself of the images, but it didn't help.

"Are you sure you can do this?" Hermione asked, and Draco opened his eyes, nodding slowly, so she let go of his hands, and knelt by Alex, undoing the spells that immobilized and silenced him. He jumped up, but Harry and Ron held him down, looking at Draco who was shaking as he stepped forward, exhaling through his nose.

"Are my parents okay?" He asked suddenly, the first question that entered him.

"Why should I tell you?" Alex spat, looking enraged.

Wishing he was in any other place than this, he raised his wand, aiming it at Alex. He filled himself with pictures he associated with hatred, his father lecturing him, all of his teachers throwing him looks as he passed, assuming because of his family he was evil, and finally, the memory of his failure to kill Dumbledore, and the consequences of that.

"Crucio!" He yelled, and Harry and Ron jumped off him as Alex began writhing on the floor, his mouth a thin line, trying to contain his screams, but Draco ramped up the pain (a trick Aunt Bella had shown him) and he started screaming, but Hermione cast the Muffliato spell so only they could hear him.

After a couple of minutes, Draco stopped, and Alex lay sprawled on the floor, breathing harshly. "Tell me." Draco said, his voice a low snarl as he knelt beside Alex, his eyes dead and cold. His whole demeanor, the eyes that showed no mercy, the straight-backed, almost smirking boy frightened Hermione; she had never seen this side to him before.

"The Dark Lord is keeping them...confined to Malfoy Manor after your little stunt." Alex snarled, still shaking, and Draco nodded slowly.

"What does the Wizarding World make of my disappearance?" Draco asked, but Alex remained tight-lipped, so Draco stood, casting the curse again without hesitation, and once again, Alex began screaming. After Draco stopped and Alex still didn't speak, he cast it again, this time even stronger. Alex wouldn't stop screaming, and his fingers dug into the carpet, low screams escaping his clenched lips.

Draco didn't seem to care, however. He stood there silently; a mask of indifference. After three minutes passed and he didn't stop, Hermione grabbed his arm, and he stopped abruptly, turning to look at her, and she had to admit, the look in his eyes frightened her. She stared him dead in the eye, and whispered, "Draco, stop."

He hesitated, before inhaling deeply, closing his eyes and clenching his fists. The anger gradually began to subside, but when he opened his eyes, some remained, on the tips of his fingers, in the long stare he and Hermione shared. "Thanks." He whispered, his eyes conveying his gratitude, and Hermione let go of his arm, but he took her hands, as easily as he would his mother's when he was a child. "Seriously Hermione." He said, his voice low, glancing at Harry and Ron, but they were on guard by the door, and Alex was barely moving.

"My pleasure." She smiled, and he gave her the tiniest of winks, and knelt beside Alex again, looking resigned.

"Just tell us, Alex." He said, his voice kinder this time, but Alex grinned suddenly, and sat up, grabbing Draco's arm. They struggled for a second, but Alex managed to push the arm of Draco's sleeve up, and his fingers pressed the Dark Mark symbol on his arm.


	17. Decisions

Draco yelled out in pain as the Dark Mark began to brighten, almost feeling as if it was engraving itself into his bones. Alex's hand was still wrapped around his arm, so he felt a surge of strength as he pushed him off, watching coldly as he slammed his head against the wooden end of the bed, and collapsed in a heap.

Meanwhile, Ron was supporting Harry, whose eyes had suddenly glazed over, and was shaking violently. "What's up with him?" Draco demanded, whilst Ron propped Harry against the door. They crowded round him as Harry stared at them through dead eyes, his jet-black hair plastered to his skull with perspiration as he entered Voldemort's mind.

_Voldemort straightened, his eyes filled with sudden impatience. He was in the middle of extracting information about the whereabouts of Harry Potter from some Muggle boy that his Death Eaters had presented to him after a raid at Dedalus Diggle's hide-out. "Kill him," He hissed, glancing at Lucius Malfoy, before striding out the room, ordering a handful of Death Eaters to follow him, his black robe swishing in front of him as he flew into the sky, following the direction of the idiot who had decided to bother him. He would make sure they would pay._

Harry pulled back suddenly, gasping like a person who had just been pulled out the water half-dead, to see three pairs of tense eyes staring down at him. "He...he's coming." He wheezed, grabbing Ron's outstretched hand and standing.

"Who?" Draco asked, unaware of the connection between Harry and Voldemort, and was extremely puzzled by the fear in everyone else's eyes. "What am I missing here?"

"Harry can...kind of see what _he's _doing," Hermione explained, to Draco's astonishment, and he stared at Harry who was giving him a _Say anything and I'll kill you _look, so he stayed silent.

"Where can we go?" Ron demanded, darting over to the window and peering outside, and he swore loudly at the sight of masked Death Eaters standing guard under the streetlight, looking up and down the street.

"Nowhere." Draco said quietly, wincing as the pain from his tattoo kicked up, and the three of them turned to look at him. "He's not an idiot! He would have got them to put an Anti-Apparition on this place!" He said, as if stating the obvious. He watched as Hermione approached the immobile Alex, and Draco began pacing, biting into his knuckle, as Harry and Ron exited the room to check there was no-one around.

"Draco..." Hermione whispered, and Draco whirled round, panicking at the tone of upset in her voice, and she saw she was touching something on the back of Alex's head.

"What?" He snapped, self-consciously rubbing his arm, uncomfortable with the fact that Voldemort was tracking them through his tattoo.

She lay Alex on his back, and Draco stuffed his fist in his mouth to contain a yell, and he started shaking, his eyes diluting with fear and shock. "Merlin, no...!" He whispered, leaning against the door to stop himself from falling.

The back of Alex's skull was dented in.

Draco had killed him.

"We have to hide!" Ron ran back in, gesticulating wildly. "Harry says he's nearly here! We found an empty room, come on!" He paused, seeing Draco's blanched face and looked at Alex, with a look of consternation on his face, but he pushed his feelings aside, and took Hermione's hand, pulling her to her feet, and leading her out the door, Draco still standing rooted in his position. "If he wants to die, leave him here," Ron said hurriedly, but Hermione shook his hand off, and touched Draco's shoulder, and he turned slowly, and as they looked at each other, she could see the pain of what he had done clearly in his eyes.

"I killed him." He whispered, and Hermione took his hand, leading him out the door and they followed Ron down the hotel corridor.

"He was going to kill us." Hermione said comfortingly, but Draco shook his head, looking miserable. Ron was standing at the door of an empty hotel room, identical to the one they were just in, and they filed in. Harry was standing by the window, and turned back to them, his face etched with fear.

"He's outside." He whispered hoarsely, and he slumped against the wall, touching his scar self-consciously.

"You have to get out of here." Draco said, regaining some of the color in his face and he looked round at them all. They were all looking up at him with similar expressions of confusion, so he clarified, "He knows someone in this building has a Dark Mark, and it's not gonna take them long to search the place. I'll go outside and tell them it's me, and that I got in a fight with Alex, and he pressed it." At least it was half-true...

"He'll kill you, Draco!" Hermione exclaimed, and he looked down at her, sighing.

"We don't know he will." He said, in a matter of fact tone.

"He was...busy." Harry said quietly, the image of his cousin haunting him. "He was thinking that whoever made the summon was going to pay."

"Well, it's either all of us die, or one." He said simply, and was about to step outside, when Hermione grabbed his arm and pulled him out onto the balcony that faced the opposite side of the street. It was small, so they were pressed together, and Draco looked up into the indigo sky strewn with stars.

"I'm not letting you do this." Hermione said firmly, and he didn't respond to her, just pointed up at the sky at an arrangement of stars.

"That's my stars. Mother used to always say, if you can't find yourself, look up at the stars and find yourself there." He said quietly, and he felt Hermione behind him, and her arm pointed over his shoulder at an alightment of stars beside his.

"What does that mean?" She asked softly, her voice a whisper in his ear.

"Scorpio." He replied, barely moving. "Father wanted to call me Scorpius, after that, but Mother preferred Draco."

He turned round to face her, and for the third time, they stood inches away from each other. They stood in silence for a few seconds, staring into each other's eyes, thinking of how much their friendship had amounted to. "If they kil-"

"Ssh," Hermione whispered, and he stopped talking, the smallest of smiles on his lips.

Then, he kissed her.

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><p><em><strong>Hehe :3 <strong>_


	18. Now or Never

_**I love you guys so much! :D 12 reviews for the last chapter, plus loooooads of subscribes and favorites! :D **_

___**I loved how it ranged from, Yaaay they kissed! About time! to how evil my cliffhanger was, haha! :)**_

**Hope you like!**

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><p>Draco wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer, continuing their kiss, whilst she crossed her arms around his neck. Their kiss lasted a couple of minutes, and when they finally broke apart, the smile on Draco's face made Hermione's heart flutter, and she smiled back, both of them laughing despite their situation.<p>

"Well...that was unexpected." She smiled, and he chuckled softly.

They stayed in their position, and Draco whispered, "Now I don't mind dying," He whispered softly, and she tilted her head, puzzled.

"Why?" She asked, her voice low and quiet.

"Because no moment could be more perfect than this." He replied truthfully, with the same heart-warming smile.

"Please don't go out there." She whispered, leaning her head against his chest, and he held her close, with a sigh.

"I have to. This is my fault, I need to fix it." He said simply, stroking her hair in a gentle caress.

"I don't want you to die." She said, with a slight whimper, and he closed his eyes. Images flashed across his eyes; Alex, lying dead. The little Muggle girl. The old man that begged him to save his wife.

"I've seen too much." He said suddenly, sounding much older. "If the final thing I do before I die is help you, then I'm okay with that."

"Who'd have thought we would have gotten here?" She asked, pulling apart from him, but entwining her fingers with his, and he smiled again.

"From hating each other, to now...I'm sorry for calling you Mudblood." He said apologetically.

"I'm sorry for punching you," She said, with a faint smile, and he laughed.

"It was one hell of a punch," He admitted, and she laughed.

"It was a heat of the moment thing." She smiled, and he laughed again, before suddenly turning serious, and taking out the Malfoy ring which she had returned to him earlier. "Take this." He pressed it into her hands, despite her protests. "Let them know I died to protect the one I love, and I don't give a damn what they think about us." He said firmly, and he fingered the Slytherin locket in his pocket nervously, before inhaling the freezing cold night air deeply. It was time.

He kissed her again. It was a quick one, but they could both feel the passion, tinged with grievance at him being taken away from her. "Always and forever," He said quietly, giving her the tiniest wink, before stepping inside, and nodding at Ron and Harry, who were talking in hushed whispers. "Take care of her." He said firmly, and they nodded, before Harry jumped to his feet, shaking Draco's hand.

"For the record, you were one hell of a ferret." He said, with a small smile, which Draco returned. Ron hesitated before shaking his hand as well, saying, "Thanks...for everything."

He didn't trust himself to speak, so left the room, and taking the lift down to the ground floor. When the heavy metal doors opened, the four Death Eaters were standing in a circle around him, looking shocked.

"Draco?" One asked, stepping forward and looking like he was seeing a ghost.

"Yes." He replied, staring round at them all haughtily.

"Well well well..." Voldemort's silky voice made Draco shudder as the Dark Lord himself strolled forward as Draco stepped out of the lift. "Care to explain, Draco?" He asked, his voice punctuated with anger.

"There was a Snatcher. We got in a fight, and he accidentally pressed my Dark Mark." He explained, ignoring the lump in his throat.

"And why didn't the Snatcher recognize you as a Malfoy?" He asked, stopping just in front of Draco, who stared up at him, swallowing nervously.

"I don't know...sir." He replied evenly.

"I'm afraid Draco...I don't quite believe you."

Draco had been expecting it, but when the pain hit, his mental preparation didn't help. It was like every atom of rage Voldemort contained was converted into pain, and directed towards Draco, who had experience with trying to resist the Cruciatus from Aunt Bella, but Voldemort was a million times worse. He refused to let them hear him scream though. He would be defiant till the end.

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><p>Hermione put the finishing touches on Harry's disguise. None of them had spoken since Draco left, and she wasn't about to break that silence. She studied the three of them. Ron was no longer ginger, but a fair brown with green eyes, whilst Harry was blonde with blue eyes, and she was auburn with hazel eyes. They all looked around forty, to add to the disguises.<p>

"Ready for this?" Harry said, deciding that the silence had stretched far enough, and Ron and Hermione faced him, nodding slowly.

"Now or never." Ron said, straightening his jacket.

They headed down in the lift, Hermione closing her eyes and exhaling softly. She knew what would wait down here, and it was only a matter of their lying abilities that would get them out of there.

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><p>The pain stopped, and Draco opened his eyes, flexing his fingers to try and regain feeling in them.<p>

"And who might you be?" Voldemort's voice was angry now, and Draco turned his eyes to see three middle-aged people shuffling out of the lifts, looking baffled at the sight before them. Draco would have dismissed them as Muggles who were in the wrong place at the wrong time, if not for the woman's look of intense guilt towards him, and he recognized, behind those altered eyes, Hermione staring down at him.

"Sky Lockwood." The woman replied, her high voice indicating her nerves. The others introduced themselves as Ryan Trent and George Smith.

"Do you know these people?" Voldemort asked, facing Draco, who looked up at him, shaking his head.

"Never seen them before in my life." He said honestly. He hadn't seen a different-coloured hair and eye Trio anyways...

"Rookwood." Voldemort snapped, and Rookwood opened Draco's mouth, and poured a couple of drops of veritaserum into his mouth, covering his mouth and nose so he wouldn't spit it out, forcing him to swallow it. "Have you ever seen these people before?" Voldemort asked again, and Draco heard himself answering, although the words weren't his, "Never."

"Let them go." Voldemort snapped, waving a hand at the Death Eaters who were restraining them. He had no time for mere Muggles, and as they half-ran half walked away, he didn't notice the furtive look of guilt "Sky" gave Draco, or the tiny wink he gave her back.


	19. Those Three Words

**_I know, I'm a terrible person...I was banned from the computer to study for my NAB! But I'm back now, woo! :)_**

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><p>"Before we start asking questions..." Voldemort drawled, and Draco stared up at him, his eyes watching as he began to pace. "I think a little punishment is required for your little disappearing stunt."<p>

"I didn't do anything!" Draco protested, trying to sit up, his heart in his mouth, but Voldemort pointed his wand at him, and Draco suddenly felt he had been shoved naked in the snow. His whole insides were raw with cold, before a snapping noise from his chest caused him to yell out in pain involuntarily.

"Broken rib, I think." Voldemort smirked as Draco squeezed his eyes shut, his hand touching his chest, groaning in agony, as every breath hurt. "Now tell me exactly what happened."

Draco tried to resist the Veritaserum, but it was an impossible task. He started to speak, not in control of his words. He explained how they had turned up and the beach, and how they tried to find a way out, and eventually met up with Harry and Ron. At the word Harry, Voldemort looked furious, and Draco couldn't contain his scream of pain as his arm suddenly was pulled behind his back, and he felt the muscles in his shoulder rip.

"You've had multiple opportunities to kill Harry Potter and you didn't?" Voldemort yelled, rage punctuating every word, and the Death Eaters recoiled, and, deep down, they felt sorry for Draco. Voldemort was one thing, but an angry Voldemort...death would be preferable.

"There was three of them, and one of me," Draco coughed, struggling to sit up, but the pain was too unbearable.

"Then you should have made that sacrifice!" Voldemort yelled, and motioned to Macnair, who looked uncomfortable, but strolled over, watching as Draco struggled onto his knees, and kicked his chest full force, sending him crashing to the floor, where he collapsed, groaning in agony.

"Continue with your story." Voldemort demanded, and he complied, explaining how he had destroyed the Hufflepuff cup. Voldemort froze, his eyes turning darker with rage. "You destroyed one of my..." He glanced back at his Death Eaters, who were looking curious at the mention of a cup, and confused to why Voldemort was so infuriated about it. Draco's screaming as Voldemort began his trademark skill of cutting deep into people's skin with a powerful spell made the Death Eaters feel shifty. They had all witnessed the spell being used on people before, but somehow, using it on one of their own was worse.

Voldemort bent down suddenly, picking something up from the floor, studying it. It was the Slytherin locket. His horcrux. Obviously the cup being destroyed wasn't just by chance. Potter knew about the Horcruxes, and was setting out to destroy the remaining ones.

Draco lay on the floor, sprawled out, his shirt ripped open and covered in blood. His chest was open and bleeding, and blood flowed from his temple. He didn't see how he was going to get out of this alive.

"Why did you do it?" Voldemort hissed, bending over him, glaring down at him. "Why did you help the Mudblood girl, instead of killing her and Potter?"

Draco paused, his breathing labored. He could either reply with an answer that would probably save what remained of his life, or he could reply with an answer that would sign his death warrant.

"Because I love her." He whispered, the smallest of smiles illuminating his pain-etched face.

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><p>"What do we do?" Hermione whispered, trying to ignore the screaming but finding it impossible. They were standing in the heavy rain, shivering with their closeness to Voldemort and the Death Eaters and the cold.<p>

"Go to Hogwarts." Harry said automatically, and Ron and Hermione turned to him, looking exasperated. "Look, he'll find out pretty quickly we've been hunting Horcruxes. We need to get into Hogwarts and destroy it before he realizes."

"We don't even know if there's a horcrux there!" Hermione pointed out, and Harry faced her impatiently.

"I just have...a feeling okay?"

"We're going to risk our lives going into Hogwarts filled with Death Eaters...on a feeling?" Ron asked.

"Yes." Harry replied, looking appealingly at Hermione. "You know I wouldn't ask to go if I wasn't a hundred percent sure," He said, although she looked at him, her eyes reminding him of Godric's Hollow.

"Fine," She agreed reluctantly, and they pulled the Invisibility Cloak over the three of them, and Hermione glanced guiltily and longingly towards the hotel door, and the last sound she heard as they Dissaparrated was the sound of screaming.

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><p><em><strong>So sorry it's short, I'm babysitting and I thought you would prefer this to nothing! :) I'll write more when I get back though, and probably update! :)<strong>_

_**I thought I would take this chance to thank all of you for your reviews, subscribes and favorites! It seriously means the world to me whenever someone tells me I'm good at something, and all your reviews are so positive and lovely! So thank you, from the bottom of my heart! :) **_


	20. Answers

The sound of screaming stopped for a heartbeat, before it recommenced. This time is wasn't a masculine one, it sounded more as if a cat was being strangled. Hermione clamped her hands over her ears, and Harry and Ron imitated her, wincing as the sound pierced their ears.

The sound of banging grabbed her attention as a handful of people trailed out of the Three Broomsticks. "Accio Cloak!" One of them roared, and Hermione clutched the ends of the cloak, but it didn't fly off them, to her intense relief. "Not under your wrapper then, Potter?" He said, eagerness entwined in his drunken tone. "Spread out and find them!"

They looked at each other, panic evident in their eyes, as they fanned out, searching for them. "Just send the Dementors after them!" One called lazily, a huge grin on his face.

As they argued about the risk of sending the Dementors after them, the leader eventually snapped, "Just do it."

Suddenly, the world turned cold. The relatively cool night suddenly seemed like the North Pole, as Hermione backed down a nearby alley, pulling Harry and Ron after her. She stopped as they hit a brick wall, and she raised her wand, but her arm felt like lead. She tried to produce a happy thought, but the sound of Draco screaming filled her ears, and she shook her head to try and rid herself of it, but it didn't work. Harry and Ron seemed to be having the same problem, Harry's face was screwed up in determination, but not even silver vapor formed, and Ron's teeth were set on edge, his eyes squeezed shut as he struggled to fight the growing sense of despair. Just as Hermione thought they'd be better off succumbing to their inevitable fate, a door opened to her right, and warmth suddenly filled her as she tumbled in, to see a bearded man gesture to stairs and hiss, "Go upstairs. Don't make a sound."

She nodded, and the three of them raced up the stairs, before laying eyes on, to their food-deprived eyes, a feast of bread and water. They ate hungrily, Hermione feeling her senses gradually come alive again, so after some arguing from downstairs and a white flash at the window which looked suspiciously like a goat running past, the man came upstairs and she immediately said, "Dumbledore?"

She was nearly right. The man in front of them was younger than Dumbledore, and much smaller, and when she said this, the smallest of frowns settled on his face. "You were stupid to come here. Stupid and reckless." He chided, before stoking the fire, his back to them.

"Are you...Aberforth?" Harry asked, stepping forward and remembering from Rita Skeeter's book that Dumbledore had a brother.

Aberforth hesitated, but nodded slowly, before turning to face them. "Where's Dobby? He sent a message a few days ago that he rescued you lot, and that Malfoy brat." He looked around for Draco, and wasn't surprised he wasn't with them. _Probably abandoned them the second he came to. _

"You know Dobby?" Ron asked, seeing that Hermione, who was racked with guilt, and Harry, who was plagued with grief were unable to answer.

"Of course I do." Aberforth waved a hand dismissively. "I was the one who sent him to help you, and he told me about what happened." He looked at Hermione, then back at Harry, who was stepping forward.

"Wait, are you saying...?" Harry asked, the pieces clicking together.

"Dobby was the one who made the chandelier a Portkey, yes."

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><p><em><strong>Sorry it's unbelievably short, but I has to go :( Hopefully I'll update again tonight!<strong>_

**_Oh, and Happy Belated Birthday to leafysummers, my American buddy and one of the best people in the world! :)_**


	21. In too Deep

**_So I don't bore you to death by repeating the events prior to Harry's trip into the forest which are in the book, I decided to skip it! (Let me know if you want me to go back and do it cause I will, but it'll literally be the same as the book, except they won't go to the Chamber because they have the sword, Ron and Hermione won't kiss and obviously Crabbe, Goyle and Draco won't intercept them in the Room of Requirement!_**

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><p>Harry's mouth nearly touched the floor as he stared at Aberforth with huge eyes, "What?" He yelped, astonished.<p>

"Keep your voice down!" Aberforth snapped, glancing outside before turning back to them, "He sent a message, telling me that he had tried to drop it on the three of you," He gestured to each of them, "But you moved out of the way, and the goblin, the Malfoy kid, and you," He pointed to Hermione, "Were hit."

"Why the hell did he expect us to stay still while he dropped a bloody chandelier on us?" Ron demanded, perplexed.

Aberforth shrugged, "He had rather insane ideas of rescuing people."

Harry nodded slowly, the smallest of smiles on his face, "Believe me, I know."

"So where is he?" Aberforth asked, settling into an armchair expectantly.

"Died." Ron said brusquely, glancing at Harry and Hermione.

Aberforth paused, and in the light of the fire Hermione saw a glint of sadness cross his face. "I'm sorry to hear that. I rather liked that elf. What about Malfoy?"

"He...stayed behind." Hermione said sharply, a look of intense guilt on her face, so Aberforth didn't question further.

"What are you lot doing here anyway? It's sheer madness." Aberforth said, looking reprovingly at them, but Harry remained neutral.

"We have to get into Hogwarts."

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><p><em><strong>AN This is fast-forwarding to Snape's death! :'(**_

"Ahh, Severus." Voldemort's silky voice made Snape squirm, but he kept his expression suitably haughty.

"You wished to see me, my Lord?" Snape asked, watching him carefully as he began to circle Snape, twirling his wand between his fingers.

"It doesn't work, Severus. The Elder Wand." Voldemort hissed, and Snape stood his ground, not daring to move.

"You have performed extraordinary magic with that wand, my Lord." Snape protested, his voice betraying his nerves.

"I have performed my usual magic, Severus," Voldemort snapped, "And I have realized that the wand's allegiance doesn't belong to me."

Snape seemed to realize what he was implying, so he stepped forward, imploring, "Please my Lord. Let me find the boy."

"Ah, your just like Lucius." Voldemort's laugh was breathless and he turned to face him again, his eyes flickering towards the corner in a movement Snape didn't see; he was too busy trying to save his skin. He had long suspected that this moment might happen, but now that it was here...he was terrified. "The boy will come to me, Severus, I have no doubts."

He suddenly stopped dead, his eyes dead as he stared at Snape, "You have been a loyal servant, Severus." He breathed, and, despite Snape's avid protests, he flicked the wand, and a clicking noise came from the corner. Snape seemed to think he had been forgiven, and was about to thank Voldemort, before he recoiled at the sight of Nagini slithering towards him, her flecked tongue tasting his fear, and relishing in it. He heard Voldemort hiss something, and before he could move, the snake was on him, it's fangs digging deep into his neck.

Voldemort watched as he tried to struggle, but was inevitably overcome by the snake, and he hissed, _"Come, Nagini." _She trailed after him as he glanced one more time at the corner, before leaving.

Snape struggled to keep his foothold on life as no-one else but Harry Potter came struggled to compose himself as he stared into those green eyes, identical to Lily's. He could spend every waking moment staring at those eyes, smiling when she smiled, laughing when he felt like crying. But he was going to die, like she did. He never considered how she had died, his emotions had barred that, but at least, he supposed, her death would have been a quick flash, compared to bleeding to death from a snake bite.

"Take it." He whispered, his voice a cracked whisper, and Harry seemed to understand automatically and he turned just as Hermione pressed a glass vial into his hands, and he collected the Potions' Masters memories with a shaking hand. There was so much to say; he almost felt bad for him, despite what he had done.

"Look at me," He whispered, and Harry looked up from the floor, and the last image Snape saw before he died was the brilliant green eyes.

Harry stood, pocketing the vial and turning to look at his exhausted friends. He was about to speak when Voldemort's voice suddenly filled his head.

_"You have fought valiantly. I now command my Death Eaters to retreat. Dispose of your dead with dignity, and tend to your wounded. Harry Potter, I now speak directly to you. You have allowed others to die for you. You have until midnight to confront your fate and meet me in the Forbidden Forest. If not, my Death Eaters, who outnumber you greatly, will storm the castle, and I will enter the fray myself. And any man, woman or child that attempts to hide you will be slaughtered. You have one hour."_

Harry opened his eyes, gasping for breath, and Ron and Hermione were staring at him, eyes huge. "Your not going." Hermione said quickly, and Harry rolled her eyes at him.

"I wasn't planning to," He lied easily, and she looked suspicious, but dropped the subject.

"Come on, let's go back to the castle," Hermione said, and the others complied, trudging back towards Hogwarts.

But, if they had lingered to look properly, they would have seen Draco, his hands bound behind his back with thick rope with a Silencing Charm placed on him, mouthing the words, "Hermione!"

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><p><strong><em>My Deathly Hallows book is currently at my friends house, so I didn't know the exact words, but I guessed most of them :)<em>**


	22. Beginning of the End

**Skipping**_** to after Harry "dies" and his "body" is carried to the fighters!**_

_**And, I never noticed we're at over 100 reviews, and subscribers! Woop woop, party time! :D**_

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><p>"Harry!"<p>

The sound echoed through the courtyard as the fighters of Hogwarts streamed out of the castle to face the Death Eaters, accompanied by Voldemort and Hagrid, who was holding what was unmistakably Harry's body.

"Harry Potter is dead." Voldemort said, his voice carrying across the short distance from where his Death Eaters stood, jeering and catcalling, to where the Hogwarts group stood, grouped together, some of them crying but the majority just looked shell-shocked. Harry couldn't be _dead! _

"He was killed running away. He hid behind all of you, and when the time came for him to face his destiny, he tried to run." He hissed, a tone of amusement in his voice.

"Your lying!" The Silencing Charm that had been placed on them broke, and the fighters began hurling abuse at the Death Eaters, before Voldemort fired his wand at random into the crowd, causing a fallen pillar to explode and everyone ducked, some falling to the ground, bleeding heavily. "Silence!" He roared, and the yelling stopped, only the sound of cheering and laughter from his side breaking the tense silence. "You now have a choice," He breathed, "Join our side, and all your past grievances will be forgotten. Join us, and we will rebuild this world, a world where wizards and witches rule over the Muggles." He paused for a second, before continuing, "Before you make your decision, there is something you may wish to see. This is what will happen to you if you fail me, if you stay on your side, or do anything against me."

He gestured to the side, and two burly Death-Eaters emerged from the trees, pulling a struggling person between them. There was a hood on their head, so all anyone could see was black trousers and a torn shirt, and the sight beneath made them shiver.

The person was shoved to the mid-point between the Death Eaters and Hogwarts fighters, onto their knees. "Take off the hood." Voldemort commanded, and one of the Death-Eaters pulled the hood off, and every single person on the Hogwarts side, even a few of the Death Eaters, looked astonished.

"Draco Malfoy," Voldemort hissed, as Draco's head lolled forward as he struggled for breath. He looked up again, and Hermione, whose hand covered her mouth, looking and feeling completely guilt-ridden, saw the pain in his face, and misery in his eyes. "He was given the chance in a million, to become a Death Eater." Voldemort cut apart the sleeve of his left arm with his wand, revealing the pulsating Dark Mark, a sight which made his fellow Hogwarts students look astonished. They had known Draco was connected to the Death Eaters, but not to this extent. "Then, he ruined his chances by fraternizing with Potter and two of his friends." Draco stayed on his knees, not daring to move, his eyes finding Hermione in the crowd, and he gave her the smallest shake of his head. He didn't want her to get hurt; no matter what happened to him. "Now, Draco will show us what happens when you stay on the wrong side." Draco turned his head slightly over his shoulder, seeing his parents standing a short distance away from Voldemort. His mother looked as if someone had shot her, and he could see the glimmer of tears on her face, and his father looked completely stunned.

"Do you have anything to say?" Voldemort asked, stepping forward with his wand raised.

"Go to hell." Draco said, his voice husky but defiant.

Voldemort was about to cast the curse, when movement and yelling from the Hogwarts side made him stop. Neville Longbottom was rushing forward, his wand raised, fury and determination on his face, but Voldemort easily stopped him, forcing him to his knees. "Ahh, who do we have here then?" Voldemort breathed, stepping towards him, looking sadistically over-joyed.

"Neville Longbottom, my Lord." Bellatrix squealed excitedly, giggling manically.

"Ahh, I had the pleasure of meeting your parents, Neville." Voldemort said quietly, and the Death Eaters laughed.

"I know you did." Neville spat, still looking defiant.

"Well, you can be our other demonstration." Voldemort pulled the Sorting Hat out of his cloak, and put in on Neville's head. "There will be no more Houses in Hogwarts, only Slytherin." With a flick of his wand, the Hat caught fire, the flames engulfing Neville's head, making him yell out in pain, and Draco, who was only a foot away, tried to help, but his hands were still bound behind him.

The sound of screaming from both sides caused Voldemort to stop, and Neville yanked the Hat off his head, his hair singed and face black with smoke, and Draco was gob-smacked to see Harry slip out of Hagrids arms, and with a brief, cheery wave, suddenly Summoned Draco's wand out of the trouser pocket of the Death Eater standing over him, and ran into the castle. Whilst everyone was distracted, Neville suddenly saw something out of the corner of his eye, and leapt forward, grabbing the Sword of Gryffindor from the Hat, and rushed forward at Voldemort, but instead of striking him, he cut Nagini's head clean off.

Voldemort screamed in fury, but Neville dodged his spell, and before he could fire another, Neville ran into the castle after the others, the Death Eaters and Voldemort fast on their heels.

Hermione rushed over, ignoring Ron who was trying to convince her to get of Hogwarts before the fighting restarted, and pulled Draco into a hug, shaking wildly. "I thought you were dead," She whispered, and they pulled apart, him grinning hugely.

"Can't kill me that easily." He whispered, but he grimaced as pain shot through his body, so she propped him against a fallen wall from the castle. "Listen, I'll go get help." She said reassuringly, but he shook his head.

"No time." He whispered, raising his hand and wiping the tear that started to journey down her face.

"Your not dying." Hermione said adamantly, but her knowledge of healing magic didn't extend this far, so she picked up an abandoned cloak nearby and wrapped it around his chest, holding his hands.

"I won't," He promised, but his breaths were becoming more labored. "Promise me one thing, if I do die though," He whispered, holding up a hand to stop her protests.

"What?" She asked, unable to stop the tears falling freely.

"You'll be happy." He said, a small smile lighting up his features.

"I can't be happy unless I'm with you." She replied, and he shook his head at her stubbornness.

"Try? For me?" He asked, and she hesitated, before nodding. "Good."

He caught sight of his parents over his shoulder, but he could feel his strength beginning to ebb away, so he leaned forward, and, despite the handful of people and his parents surrounding them, kissed her.

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><p><strong><em>Will he die? Will he live? Will Voldemort ever get a nose? Will Harry ever get new glasses? Wait and find out! :)<em>**


	23. Waking Up

_**Warning: I am currently under the influence of Irn Bru, so if you review or message me, chances are you'll get a hyperactive message along the lines of ILOVEYOUSOMUCH! Just a warning :)**  
><em>

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><p><em>"Mum! Dad!"<em>

_An eleven-year old Draco bursts into the room where his parents sat, deep in discussion about something. They were obviously arguing, and, by the looks of it, his mother was winning._

_"What?" His father snapped, and his mother threw him a reproachful look._

_"What is it honey?" His mother asked, smiling at him tenderly._

_He waved the letter about, grinning from ear to ear, "I got my letter!"_

_"Well done!" His mother looked genuinely thrilled and hugged him tightly, planting a kiss on the top of his mop of blonde hair._

_"Well done for getting into a school run by a Muggle-loving crackpot," His father remarked dryly, and again Draco's mother glared at him._

_"It's far better than Durmstrang." She said, rather coldly. _

_Their arguing restarted, and Draco slunk out of the room, with a looked of grief on his face, slowly tearing the letter in half._

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><p>Draco's eyes opened slowly, and he winced at the bright light that burned his eyes, and tried to sit up, but saw that there was bandages wrapped around his chest. He saw that Hermione was holding his hand, but her head was resting on the edge of the bed and she was evidently asleep. He tried to remember what had happened after he and Hermione kissed on the battlegrounds, but it was just blackness and made his head reel just thinking about it.<p>

"Draco?"

He turned to the door to see his mother rushing towards him, her eyes red with tears, her hair flying wildly behind her back so that she resembled a demented bird. His father was behind her, looking sheepish, which was a look Draco didn't associate with him.

"Are you alright?" She asked, rushing to the opposite side from Hermione and stroking the hair from his face, looking at him with maternal concern.

"I'm fine," He said sharply; he hated people pitying him. "What happened?" He asked.

"After you and..." She looked swiftly at Hermione, who was slowly waking up, "...Kissed, your eyes went blank..." She shivered, "Then you wouldn't respond, and Madame Pomfrey brought you up here."

"What happened with the...battle?" He asked, smiling at Hermione who was looking almost embarrassingly at his parents.

"Harry defeated him." She said simply.

"How?" He asked, pressing for more details, but, to all of their surprises, Hermione spoke, "Voldemort had Dumbledore's wand, and he thought by killing Snape that he would truly become master of it, but because Snape was actually under Dumbledore's orders to kill him, it was technically yours...but then yours got taken off you by that Death Eater, then Harry took it, and used it against him." She explained breathlessly.

He paused, before saying, "So, _his _wand...was actually mine?" He asked, ultimately confused.

"Basically yeah." She smiled, and he shrugged.

"As long as he's dead, I don't care." He grinned hugely, and he saw his father recoil, looking bemused. "What, are you still on his side?" He snapped irritably.

"Not after what he did to you." His father replied, and as he stepped into the light at the foot of the bed, Draco saw that he was unkempt and messy, something that he had also never seen before. "I thought you were dead, Draco." He said hoarsley, looking at his wife then back at his son, "And I kept thinking...of all the arguments we've had."

There was a brief pause, Draco speechless and his father not wanting to speak further, before Hermione eventually said, "Oh, just apologize!"

Lucius turned to her, looking appalled that someone dared speak to him like that, before realizing she was right, "I really am sorry, Draco." He said quietly.

"So am I," Draco sighed, "I haven't exactly been someone to make you proud, after everything I've done."

Lucius looked surprised, "Standing up to what you believe in is nothing to be ashamed of, son. You've never made me prouder."

Narcissa was looking on the verge of tears, so Lucius took her hand, standing behind her. Draco looked pleasantly shocked. _I can't believe he just said that..._

_"_There's something I have to tell you," He said, inhaling deeply and taking Hermione's hand, "I love Hermione." He gave her a huge smile, which she returned.

Narcissa looked shocked, but pleased, and Lucius looked stunned, but composed himself, "Well, if there was anyone, I'm glad it's someone who yelled at me for not taking care of you properly when you were growing up. She's got nerves of steel, and a brain to match."

He gave Hermione a test-smile, and she looked guilty, but smiled back.

He couldn't believe it. Things were actually working out for a change.

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><p><em><strong>Right, decision time...Either this will be the last chapter, or I'll keep going Post-Battle! :) Let me know what you think! :D<strong>_


	24. Defying Expectations

**_I've decided to do two more chapters, this, and a 19 years later :D _**

**_Hope you like! _**

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><p>After half an hour of talking with his parents, they decided, after seeing the looks their son and Hermione were throwing each other, to leave them alone. Draco watched them leave, then looked at the other occupants of the beds. Most were people he only knew by sight, but he recognized a few of them from his year. He turned back to Hermione, and smiled saying, "So..." He said, laughing softly.<p>

"How are you feeling?" She asked, looking concerned, but he waved it off.

"Don't worry about me."

"It's hard, when you attract danger like moths to a light," She said, laughing.

"It's because of my natural charm," He replied, winking, and she rolled her eyes.

"So I guess we're going out then?" She asked, after a moment's pause, and he looked up at her sheepishly, running a hand through his hair.

"I guess we are," He replied evenly, trying to contain his happiness but failing spectacularly.

"I don't think your Dad likes me though," She said, blushing as she remembered yelling at him whilst Draco slept.

"Nah, if he hated you, he would have openly said. The fact he didn't means he loves you."

She laughed and was about to reply when Madame Pomfrey rushed in, glancing up and down the beds, occasionally handing small vials to people, until she reached Draco's bed. "He needs to sleep!" She chided, handing him a slightly smoking cup.

"I'm fine," He protested, trying to sit up, but she pushed him back down.

"If you attempt to get out of that bed, I have permission to _make _you stay there," She warned, and Hermione started giggling at his outraged face.

"From who?" He demanded.

"Me," She responded, before leaving to treat her other patients.

"Just drink it," Hermione advised, laughing at his disgusted expression as he sniffed the drink. He rolled his eyes at her and took the tiniest sip. Before he could even begin to register the taste, the world started to go blurry, and he remembered kissing Hermione before the world went fuzzy then black.

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><p>Hermione clicked the door shut behind her, and was surprised to see Draco's parents still waiting outside, sitting on chairs and talking earnestly. When they saw her they jumped to their feet, and Narcissa said, "How is he?"<p>

"He's Draco, he always feels the need to be fine," She replied, smiling despite feeling slightly intimidated by his ex-Death Eater father who was looking awkwardly at her.

"That sounds like him," He mumbled, not looking at her, but at his wife, who was rolling her eyes.

"And Lucius always feels the need to be awkward when it comes to socializing," She said, and Hermione laughed, smiling at him.

"It's part of the natural charm, dear," He replied, and for the first time, she saw him actually _smiling. _

"Draco clearly gets it from you then!" Hermione joked, and they both laughed quietly, not wanting to disturb the injured.

"Draco got his looks and personality from my side," Narcissa said, in a mock-haughty tone, "But he received his father's need to mess anything up he touches. You should see his room!" She looked absolutely appalled, which made Lucius chuckle, and Hermione could barely contain her giggles.

"He clearly received the Malfoy charm though, after managing to get Miss Granger to even talk to him," Lucius said, giving Hermione the tiniest wink, and Hermione blushed.

They sat outside for a while, Lucius and Narissa questioning her about her life, seeming genuinely interested with her Hogwarts life, but she had to spend fifteen minutes explaining what a dentist was, and they were still perplexed at the prospect. They were impressed with her OWL results, and revealed that Draco had passed all of his subjects except Care of Magical Creatures. "He despised the subject after the Hippogriff incident," Lucius explained.

Just as they were starting on discussing Divination, the sounds of arguing from inside interrupted them. "Just let me out!" The voice was unmistakably Draco's, and he sounded annoyed and determined.

"Your not fully recovered!" Madame Pomfrey snapped back.

"I don't give a damn!" He yelled back, and the door swung open, and Draco stumbled out, closing the door behind him just as a hex came flying his way. He turned to his parents and Hermione, and nodded briskly, "Hey."

"She is going to kill you, you do know that right?" Hermione asked, as he approached them, wrapping his arms around her, despite the fact his parents were there.

"It wouldn't be the first time someone tried to kill me," He joked, and looked up at his parents, then back at Hermione, "Please don't say you were telling her stuff about me when I was younger?" He asked, a pleading tone in his voice which made them all laugh.

"We haven't reached that far, I'm afraid," Lucius replied, and Draco looked relieved. "Your mother and I have things to sort out at the Ministry, do you think you could stay out of trouble while we're gone?" He asked, smiling.

"I can try, but no promises," He replied, and his mother kissed him on the cheek and hugged Hermione, whilst his father stood silently for a minute before shaking his hand, and tipping his head towards Hermione. "Well it's a start," He admitted, once they had gone from view.

"It'll get better," Hermione promised, and he smiled, before pulling her closer, wrapping his arms around her waist, and she clasped her hands at the back of his neck, smiling up at him.

When they kissed this time, it felt more blissful than the last. Their previous ones were tainted with the knowledge that they were facing their demons and potentially going to die, but now, since the Battle was over, it felt as though with this kiss, it was sealing all the jigsaw pieces of their broken lives together.

The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted them, and they jumped, still tangled in each other's arms. Ron and Harry were standing there, looking sheepish, but Ron's ears were red. "Sorry for interrupting," Harry said quickly, before elbowing Ron forward.

Ron looked at the ground, rubbing at a spot on the floor before looking back up at them, "Sorry for being jealous," He muttered, and extended his hand towards Draco, "If she had to be with someone, I'm glad it's someone who I can beat up if you do anything bad to her," He tried a smile, and Draco pulled an arm out from his arm-lock with Hermione and shook his hand, before nodding at Harry.

"I'll keep that in mind," He laughed, and Ron grinned, nodding once at Hermione before leaving.

"And we will do it you know," Harry warned, grinning at the two of them before rushing off to find Ginny.

"I have no doubt that you won't!" Draco called after them, before turning back and kissing Hermione again

When they pulled apart, he kissed her nose playfully, and she laughed, nuzzling into his neck, "Who ever thought the Gryffindor Know-It-All and the Slytherin Bad boy would be together?"

"Well, we defy expectations," Draco teased, and kissed her again, one of hundreds they would share together.

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><p><em><strong>D'awwwww :3<strong>_

_**Oh, does anyone know a website where you can keep documents together? Cause I'm planning on (attempting) to write a novel/book thing, but there isn't enough room in my Fanfiction document uploader, and I can't save it onto my computer :(**_


	25. 19 Years Later

_**Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Although I'm not even American (Scotland for the win!) it's a cool tradition, and thanking God for everything good we have is a great thing :D**_

**_And thanks for all your suggestions about how to store my now-started novel/story :D_**

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><p>If you watched the four of them stroll across the station, casually chattering among themselves, you wouldn't have thrown them a second glance. But, if you looked closer and saw that they were carting along two large eagle owls with their massive amounts of suitcases, you would have thrown them bizarre looks.<p>

"We're early, as usual," Draco laughed, hauling the eagle's cages after them, and Hermione shook her head laughing saying, "We need to set an example!"

"You first Scorpius," Draco said, gesturing to their oldest Scorpius, who was identical to Draco. He had his blonde hair, pointed chin and blue eyes, whilst he had inherited his mother's quick-thinking.

Scorpius easily sauntered over to the barrier, and, making sure no-one was watching, leaned against it, waving cheerily as he disappeared through the barrier. Draco followed suit, then Hermione smiled at his 1-year younger sister, Sky, "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be!" Sky replied nervously. She was brunette like her mother, and her hair was in neat curls, and had Hermione's eyes and brain, much to her father's relief. Her ability to charm anyone she met clearly came from Draco's side, or so he and Lucius thought. Hermione waited until she had gone, before slipping through herself.

The steam from the scarlet train swirled around Hermione's feet as she arrived at Platform 9 and 3/4's. Draco was storing their suitcases onto the train, aided by Harry, whose oldest James was chatting amicably with Scorpius, whilst Albus and Sky were deep in conversation, looking excited but nervous.

"Hey Harry!" Hermione greeted as she approached them, smiling. "Not out catching any bad guys today?" She teased, and he laughed.

"Got the day off to see the kids off." He explained, grinning at Ginny who came over, smiling. "You going back to the Ministry later?" He asked Hermione, and she shook her head.

"They can manage a day without me," She replied, and Draco chuckled, and muttered to Ginny under his breath, "And after the way she yelled at that guy who was calling someone a Mudblood, I'm sure they welcomed her absence!"

Ginny began to giggle, and Hermione glared playfully at him, "At least my job description doesn't sound as if it's out of James Bond!" She teased, knowing of his love for the movie after she made him watch it the Christmas Scorpius was born.

"I think it's cool, actually!" He replied, looking appealingly towards Harry, who worked with him, for back-up.

"Aurors are the reason you can sleep safely at night, 'Mione," Harry winked, "And Draco knows all about the guys we're catching!"

"And I know how to scare them." Ron had appeared with Lavender and their only son Peter, who was smallish and had a mop of red hair and brown eyes, and grinned at the sight of his extended family. "Just show them the hair, always works."

"The sight of a ginger does strike fear into most people's souls, yes," Draco agreed, and they all laughed, before the driver strolled past them, nodding. "They must be leaving soon," Draco pointed out, and turned to see Scorpius tearing away from his friends before bounding over, grinning at everyone before looking at his father, "If you get any House points taken off Slytherin, you'll have me to answer to," He said sternly, but couldn't resist a smile.

"Bet you I get detention in less than a week," Scorpius challenged, and Draco glanced at his wife, but she was hugging a scared-looking Sky good-bye.

"Your on," Draco agreed, shaking his hand, "5 galleons?"

"Deal," Scorpius grinned, before giving his father a huge hug, and bounding over to his mother, whilst Sky hugged Draco tightly.

"Bye Dad," She said quietly, and he knelt down, smiling at his daughter.

"We'll come visit in a couple of days to see how your doing," Draco promised, and hugged her again, "And for the love of Merlin, remember to write to your Grandparents, they'll rush the castle if they think your in danger," Draco rolled his eyes, and his daughter laughed.

"Do you think I'll be a Slytherin like you, or a Gryffindor like Mum?" She asked quietly, so no-one could hear them.

"Maybe a Hufflepuff!" He joked, grabbing her and tickling her, "Or a Ravenclaw!"

She squealed, and laughing he let her go, standing and ruffling her hair, watching her climb onto the train, "Look after her Scorpius!" He yelled as his son jumped on, and he saw a glimpse of a thumbs-up before they were gone.

Hermione joined him, taking his hand and resting her head on his shoulder, "I'll miss them," She sighed, and he laughed softly.

"We'll write, and visit them most days anyway, knowing you," He teased.

She looked indignant, but she knew it was true. Both of them nearly fell over laughing at the sight of Neville and Luna rushing through the barrier, Neville looking flustered, Luna looking gleeful.

"She went chasing after a Wingbat!" He yelled to them, pushing their twin sons onto the train and hopping on himself, his job as a Professor of Herbology at Hogwarts a great source of amusement, but even funnier was the idea of Luna teaching Care of Magical Creatures.

"What's that?" Harry called, and Neville shrugged.

"Haven't the foggiest! See you soon!" He yelled, before he vanishing into the train, Luna, who was waving manically, followed him.

The train started to pick up speed gradually, and Scorpius and Sky stuck their heads out of the window, waving and calling after their parents, who beamed and waved back, watching as the train journeyed off, turning a corner so they couldn't see it anymore.

"They'll be okay," Draco said reassuringly.

"I know," Hermione agreed, and as they left the Platform, the sounds of Kings Cross filled their ears as they kissed, ectastic with the fact that they would spend the rest of forever with each other.

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><p><strong>I feel so depressed that this is over! :( What started off with an idea, turned into one of the funnest, best-reviewed fanfics I've ever wrote!<strong>

**Thanks to every ****single person that reviewed, read, subscribed or favorited this story, it honestly meant the world to me, even if you don't know me personally, you still made my days happier :3**

**Especially thanks to leafysummers and DominoTyler for being there since the beginning :D**

**Let's go back to our not-so normal lives, happy with the knowledge that Hermione and Draco are married. That thought makes the world a lot brigher! :D**


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